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    Coloniser discourses in Capital Television nightly news, Waitangi Day 1996 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1996) Collett, Jenny Alison
    Coloniser's discourses which attempted to justify and redeem many of the devastating processes of colonisation around the world have been (re)constructed and repeated in Aotearoa since the 1840's. They include notions of 'progress', 'civilisation', 'social evolution', and the categorisation of bodies into 'races' and 'genders'. These discourses have shaped many of the identities of people living in Aotearoa as well as the political, economic and social developmental path of this country. In 1996 I argue many of these coloniser discourses are repeated and reinforced through the television current affairs and news coverage of Waitangi Day 1996. This being so I argue that imagery is a vital area for academic study because it is through images that we present ourselves to ourselves. Following Clifford and Foucault I approach the 1996 Waitangi Day television news coverage as (re)presentations and constructions of 'truth'. I argue these 'truths' always involve a (re)production of certain political, economic and social discourses at the expense of others. I use theorists such as Irwin, Evans, Dyer and hooks to explore and explain the ways in which different discourses and experiences, some of which may be called anti-colonial, are marginalised by coloniser discourses and journalistic conventions. Using a post structuralist discourse analysis I identify how discourses of 'race' and 'gender' are deployed in Wellington's Capital Television nightly news coverage on 1996 Waitangi Day. In this programme, which claims to present an unmediated 'truth' surrounding the events of 1996 Waitangi Day, I argue that certain voices and experiences are given legitimacy while others are silenced and marginalised. I conclude that generally it is European/New Zealand and male voices which are heard at the expense of Māori and women. I argue that those who do wish to highlight the legacy of colonial ideas in the television media, through legitimate protest, for example Māori sovereignty groups and Pākehā supporters, are marginalised as 'protesters' and 'stirrers' disconnected from their communities and from 'real New Zealanders' on this particular day.
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    Ruth Ross : New Zealand scholar/Treaty scholar : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Bell, Rachael
    In 1972 Ruth Ross presented an analysis of the Treaty of Waitangi that was to underpin interpretations of the Treaty for the next thirty years. Its purpose was threefold: to untangle the various instructions and translations that contributed to the drafting of the Treaty in 1840; to determine the intentions and understandings of the Treaty partners, Maori and Pakeha; to historicise the signing of the Treaty, thus returning an element of objectivity and distance to an event whose symbolism, she believed, had come to outstrip both scholarly understanding and documentary evidence. From 'Pakeha self-righteousness' to 'Maori disillusionment', she concluded, the Treaty of Waitangi had come to say 'whatever we want it to say'. The impact of her paper was considerable. It was first presented as a seminar, then published in an expanded form as 'Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Texts and Translations' in the New Zealand Journal of History.2 2 Ruth Ross, 'The Treaty of Waitangi: Texts and Translations', NZJH, 6:2, October 1972, p. 129-154. Its fine-grained analysis won the respect of the scholarly community and has gone on to inform a number of influential works, including those of Ranginui Walker and Claudia Orange. After more than thirty years in the Treaty debate it is still regarded as the 'most penetrating critique in recent times of the events surrounding the drafting and signing of the Treaty'.3 Ranginui Walker, Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou, Struggle Without End, 2nd Edition, Auckland: Penguin Books, p. 90. The article also captured attention at the broader social level. At a time when, willingly or otherwise, an understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi was becoming increasingly requisite, Ross challenged New Zealanders' view of their past. With its provocative wording, her outspoken conclusion became a catchphrase in the argument over the role of the Treaty in New Zealand.
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    Mana, whānau and full and final settlement : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Māori Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Ratima, Matiu Tai
    A study is presented which describes and critiques the process of the settlement of Māori claims with respect to Crown acts or omissions which breech the principles of the Treaty of Waiting. Attention has been focused on the rights of whānau and hapū within the process of direct negotiation, and an unsuccessful attempt by the Whakatōhea iwi of the Eastern Bay of Plenty to negotiate a settlement of their claims has been considered as a case study of direct negotiation. The views of seven participants involved in Whakatōhea's negotiations have been used to gain insight into the process and to help identify some key obstacles to Treaty settlement. Finally, the positions adopted by the Crown and various Māori groups, with regard to the obstacles identified, are discussed and some suggestions have been made which might provide a focus for future discussion on the subject of direct negotiation.