Northlanders have their chance to see, touch and hear all about the Treaty of Waitangi this week as an interactive exhibition visits the region - but not everyone agrees with the bare bones of the roadshow.
Organisers say the aim of Te Papa's Treaty 2 U is to untangle "the why,
the what and the what now" of the Treaty of Waitangi.
But Auckland history and archaeo-astronomy buff Martin Doutr?, who is following the big black trailer around the country, claims the version of the document on show is the wrong one.
He reckons the official English treaty is nothing but a "rough draft composite" which excludes the rights of settlers.
"It's not an us or them thing. We just want our treaty back," he said. "I'd like to see New Zealand go back to how it was when we were all united.
"We were a great little nation."
The Treaty 2 U version says it covers "the chiefs, the tribes and respective individuals and families thereof", while Mr Doutr? says the final version discovered by the Littlewood family in 1989 covers "the chiefs, the tribes and all the people of New Zealand".
Treaty 2 U project manager Kit O'Connor said the roadshow aims to keep things straightforward.
She disputes the claims on Mr Doutr?'s bold banner that labels the roadshow "a 6.5 million dollar government cover-up".
"Everyone's got a different opinion," said Ms O'Connor.
"It's just frustrating that information on the funding has been escalated by 600 percent - if only we did have that much money."
Treaty 2 U was developed by Te Papa, Archives New Zealand and the National Library of New Zealand and supported by the State Services Commission.
The exhibition has been on the road since January, visiting 35 locations in a purpose-built mobile exhibition trailer.
About 35,000 visitors - or 300-400 a day - have crossed the threshold over the past four months.
Next stop is Kaitaia (May 9-10), then Kaikohe (May 11-12) before the roadshow winds up in Waitangi (May 13-14).
