Powerful Encounters

This subject allows Fellows in the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) program to compare and contrast the social policy developments in politically, legally and constitutionally recognising Indigenous rights and sovereignty in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific, focusing on Treaties. Fellows will identify pertinent issues that need to be considered in negotiating a treaty, both historical and contemporary, and in regional and global contexts. Participants will reflect upon the Aotearoa/New Zealand experience and the Treaty of Waitangi, particularly how this hindered and/or facilitated inclusive and effective social policy development. This will be compared with contemporary and historical treaty developments in Australia and the Pacific. Fellows will construct their own case study of citizen-state relationships focusing on debates around rights, sovereignty, decolonisation, self-determination, access to services and economic development and propose some key recommendations for future reforms.