As Waitangi Day approaches, Treaty lawyer Roimata Smail says too many boards and executives are still making decisions without a basic understanding of Te Tiriti.
What’s at stake? Poor Treaty literacy exposes organisations to governance, reputational, and strategic risk when working with iwi, Māori enterprise, and the Crown.
Background: After two decades as a Treaty and Indigenous rights lawyer, Roimata Smail built a whānau-owned publishing and education business to make Te Tiriti accessible and practical.
Main players: Treaty lawyer and author Roimata Smail and her whānau business Wai Ako.
Waitangi Day is this Friday, yet many New Zealanders still feel underprepared to explain what Te Tiriti o Waitangi actually said, what was agreed in 1840, and why it continues to shape public life, policy, and the economy.
For Treaty lawyer Roimata Smail, that gap is no longer just a civic problem.
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Key points
What’s at stake? Poor Treaty literacy exposes organisations to governance, reputational, and strategic risk when working with iwi, Māori enterprise, and the Crown.
Background: After two decades as a Treaty and Indigenous rights lawyer, Roimata Smail built a whānau-owned publishing and education business to make Te Tiriti accessible and practical.
Main players: Treaty lawyer and author Roimata Smail and her whānau business Wai Ako.
