Last Friday and Saturday I attended the seventh annual Parliamentary Conference, organised by the Stout Research Centre and the Political Science Department at Victoria.
An amazing experience, reliving the politically turbulent 1990's, the era that got me interested in politics in the first place.
We heard from all the major players, including former Prime Ministers Bolger and Shipley, former ministers Birch, Richardson, Kidd, Burdon, as well as various media people, public servants and party officials.
The final session was the best. First Sir Douglas Graham, then Sir Tipene O'Regan, and finally Chris Finlayson spoke about the Treaty of Waitangi negoatiations process. Sir Douglas gave a very moving speech, concluding that he hoped he had done some good in the process, but what he received was ten times more. He was overcome with emotion in making this final point, no doubt as a result of the task he was given in the 90's - to begin 150 years worth of healing between Iwi and the Crown.
Two things struck me at the conference. The first was how convincingly the neo-liberal economic agenda introduced in the second term of Lange Labour government and the first term of the Bolger National govenment has won the policy debate in NZ. Now it is a given, and accepted by all major parties that we are tied economically, for better and worse, to the fate of the world economy.
The second thing was that no matter how you view that policy victory, and its inevitable social costs, I think most can agree that the Bolger government significantly shifted the Treaty discourse in Aotearoa New Zealand. This shift was towards a mode more constructive and beneficial, one of reconciliation, reparation and remorse.
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