Treaty 2 U: A Touring Exhibition

PRESS RELEASE
EMBARGOED TO 3PM, 17/5/07

TREATY 2 U: A TOURING EXHIBITION

Extra funding for the TREATY 2U: A Touring Exhibition nationwide tour means Auckland high school students will see the hi-tech Treaty of Waitangi road show this year.

ASB Community Trust has agreed to a grant of $530,000 for the roadshow, and the Government has also agreed to contribute additional funding to enable the exhibition to tour for up to six months in the Auckland region.

The interactive exhibition visited 35 towns and cities throughout New Zealand last year and this year is close to completing a second tour to some 25 locations. A $530,000 ASB Community Trust grant, matched by a $530,000 grant from the Government, will allow it to stay in the Auckland region during the second half of 2007 and early part of 2008, to visit many of Auckland’s 85 secondary schools.

Trust CEO Jennifer Gill says the grant recognises the road show’s unique way of explaining the nation’s founding document to a new generation of New Zealanders.

“Part of the Trust’s mission is to preserve our heritage and this exhibition explains the Treaty in its wider context. It aims to personalize the history of the Treaty and to demystify aspects that are often misunderstood,” she says.

“What really brought home to me its importance was when I visited TREATY 2 U and a little boy, who couldn’t have been much more than 10, pointed to a signature on the Treaty and said ‘that’s my great-great grandfather’. We asked him how he knew that and he was able to recite his whakapapa right back to the chief who had signed the Treaty.

“That’s living history, and resources like TREATY 2 U help New Zealanders to understand the past, make sense of the present and build for the future.”

The specially designed mobile trailer-truck’s walls fold out to create a big exhibition area full of interactive technology and replicas of the original nine Treaty documents -
‘aged’ by the same techniques as those used in the Lord of The Rings film trilogy.
The exhibition is presented by three organisations with leading roles in looking after New Zealand’s treasures – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Archives New Zealand and the National Library of New Zealand – and is supported by the State Services Commission (SSC).
It explains what is written in the documents and the crucial differences between the Mäori and English versions. The exhibition follows the documents’ journeys during 1840 as more signatures were sought. It also looks at the varying expectations held by Mäori and Päkehä groups, and at the efforts now made to address claims and build better relationships.
Dr Claudia Orange, Te Papa’s History & Pacific Cultures Director is delighted at the initial feedback from the public and schools about the exhibition.
“This is something everyone should see – over 60,000 visitors have visited the exhibition during its two tours. It’s fantastic that Auckland schools will have this special opportunity.”
ASB Community Trust decides on grants for projects in education, the arts, sport, recreation, environment, heritage, health and social services areas each month. About $45 million is granted to community group projects in Auckland and Northland each year.

Founded on the sale of its shares in the ASB bank, the Trust has granted more than $600m since being formed in 1988. Any incorporated or charitable trust can apply for funds, provided they are a not-for-profit organisation.

For more details about applying, visit the Trust’s website: www.ASBCommunityTrust.org.nz
(ENDS)

© Scoop Media