Treaty of Waitangi now in easy-read format

The IHC Foundation has funded a new resource about the Treaty of Waitangi for people with intellectual disabilities.

‘The Easy Read Book About the Treaty of Waitangi’ is thought to be the first book specifically designed for people with intellectual disabilities to help them learn about and understand the treaty, including their rights and how to protest.

More than 96,000 New Zealanders have intellectual or learning disabilities. But there have been few – if any – resources about the treaty designed specifically for this community.

IDEA Services’ National Māori Advisory Group, Te Anga Pāua O Aotearoa, realised that while training resources had been developed to help support staff understand the treaty, similar resources were not available for people with intellectual disabilities.

They met with the Tangata Tiriti – Treaty People organisation and two years later Tangata Tiriti has produced a great resource that will be available to everyone with an intellectual disability.

The 3000 Easy Read books, which use simple language and images to convey the importance of the treaty, will be distributed to every public library in the country.

Copies will also be available through IDEA Services area offices and the IHC library.

The publication has been enthusiastically received by a sample group of people supported by IDEA Services.

The book was launched at Hui Te Rangiora Marae in Hamilton in February.