ESL Conversation Questions – Waitangi Day 🇳🇿

A2 Level (Elementary)

1. Have you heard of Waitangi Day?

2. Do you know where New Zealand is?

3. Do people in your country have a national day?

4. What do people do on holidays?

5. Do you like parades or festivals?

6. What colors are on the New Zealand flag?

7. What do you eat on special days?

8. Do you like learning about other countries?

9. What is a treaty?

10. Do you know what a celebration is?

11. Do people sing songs on holidays?

12. What is your favorite holiday?

13. Do people wear special clothes on holidays?

14. Do you go to events with your family?

15. Do you like fireworks?

16. What do you do on a day off?

17. Have you seen a flag raising ceremony?

18. What do you do at a picnic?

19. Is history interesting to you?

20. Do you like learning about New Zealand?

B1 Level (Intermediate)

1. What is Waitangi Day about?

2. Why do people in New Zealand celebrate it?

3. Do you know what the Treaty of Waitangi is?

4. How do people celebrate Waitangi Day today?

5. Do you think national holidays are important?

6. How do you celebrate your country’s national day?

7. What do you think of signing a treaty to make peace?

8. What do you know about the Māori people?

9. Why is it important to remember history?

10. Should schools teach about Waitangi Day?

11. Do you think all New Zealanders celebrate this day the same way?

12. What are some common problems during national celebrations?

13. Should national holidays be fun, serious, or both?

14. What foods are popular on Waitangi Day?

15. Do you think holidays can bring people together?

16. Would you like to visit New Zealand?

17. What traditions does your country have that are similar?

18. Can history help build a better future?

19. Have you ever seen a haka dance?

20. What makes a national holiday meaningful?

B2 Level (Upper-Intermediate)

1. What does Waitangi Day represent to different people in New Zealand?

2. Why was the Treaty of Waitangi important?

3. Do you think the treaty was fair for both sides?

4. How have Waitangi Day celebrations changed over time?

5. What role does Māori culture play in modern New Zealand?

6. Is it possible for one holiday to represent a whole country?

7. How should a country deal with painful parts of its history?

8. What can other countries learn from Waitangi Day?

9. Why do some people protest on Waitangi Day?

10. How do you feel about national identity?

11. What’s the importance of indigenous rights in your country?

12. Should national holidays include political discussions?

13. What symbols or ceremonies are part of Waitangi Day?

14. How does the media talk about Waitangi Day?

15. What’s the difference between celebrating and remembering?

16. Can history be rewritten or reinterpreted?

17. Should people get a day off for national holidays?

18. Do you think New Zealand handles its history well?

19. How would you explain Waitangi Day to someone who’s never heard of it?

20. What’s the connection between culture, land, and identity?

C1 Level (Advanced)

1. How has the meaning of Waitangi Day evolved?

2. What does the Treaty of Waitangi teach us about colonialism?

3. How can a national holiday address both pride and pain?

4. Should governments apologize for past actions?

5. How do Māori and Pākehā (non-Māori New Zealanders) view the treaty differently?

6. Is it possible to fully honor a treaty signed in a different era?

7. What are the political implications of Waitangi Day?

8. Should national days be used to promote social change?

9. How do modern New Zealanders reconcile with their colonial past?

10. How are Māori rights represented in New Zealand politics today?

11. Can celebration and protest coexist peacefully?

12. How does New Zealand’s approach to its indigenous population compare to other countries?

13. Are historical treaties still legally and morally binding?

14. What role does education play in shaping views of national history?

15. Should holidays like Waitangi Day include public debates or forums?

16. How does art and music reflect the meaning of Waitangi Day?

17. What impact does tourism have on indigenous heritage?

18. Should new treaties be created to better reflect modern values?

19. Is cultural preservation more important than assimilation?

20. How does Waitangi Day affect national unity?

C2 Level (Proficiency)

1. Is Waitangi Day a model for post-colonial reconciliation?

2. Can a treaty signed under unequal conditions ever be truly just?

3. How should modern nations honor historical agreements with indigenous peoples?

4. What are the limits of symbolic recognition in addressing systemic inequality?

5. To what extent does Waitangi Day serve as a mirror for unresolved tensions in New Zealand?

6. How has the reinterpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi influenced modern law and policy?

7. What philosophical challenges exist when commemorating contested histories?

8. Should national holidays be used to confront national guilt?

9. What’s the difference between historical memory and national myth?

10. How does Waitangi Day navigate between national pride and collective accountability?

11. How do rituals and ceremonies shape the collective consciousness of a nation?

12. Is it possible to create a unified narrative for a nation with diverse experiences?

13. How does Waitangi Day reflect the power dynamics between the state and indigenous communities?

14. Can public commemoration act as a form of restorative justice?

15. How might Waitangi Day evolve over the next 50 years?

16. What is the risk of commodifying indigenous culture through national celebrations?

17. To what extent is decolonization compatible with modern statehood?

18. How does Waitangi Day inform the global discourse on indigenous rights?

19. Should countries with colonial histories create similar commemorative days?

20. Can historical treaties be a starting point for real systemic change?