[A Thread] Today is modern New Zealand's birthday; #WaitangiDay. Today commemorates the day in 1840 when the Treaty was first signed between Great Britain and many (but not all) Maori Tribal Chiefs. #auspol #nzpol 1/7 
The treaty gave sovereignty to Great Britain, but guaranteed Maori land, resource rights and political representation - all of which are still in place today (despite challenges along the way). #auspol #nzpol 2/7
Culturally, NZ Maori were far closer to European culture than Australian First Nations People. They had a common(ish) language, recognised land ownership, political hierarchies, had permanent villages and farming, and formal warfare. #auspol #nzpol 3/7
This meant that Victorian British colonists had significant respect for Maori right from very first contact. It was this respect that meant that a treaty could be negotiated and signed in good(ish) faith. #auspol #nzpol 4/7
In Australia, colonists could see no cultural parallels with First Nations People, and thus held little respect for them. They saw no "noble savages". The rest is history. Unfortunately that lack of respect is now an ingrained feature of Australian culture. #auspol #nzpol 5/7
That lack of respect means that modern Australia's founding document, our Constitution, does not even recognise that Aboriginal people existed in Australia prior to colonisation. #TheVoice aims to re-set this. #auspol #nzpol 6/7
There is no valid reason NOT to change the Australian constitution's preamble to recognise our First Nations' People. That's all the referendum is about. #TheVoice is simply the voice that springs from that recognition. #VoteYes #auspol #auspol #nzpol 7/7
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