Week in politics: Work yet to be done setting up constitutional review

One of the big items yet to be ticked off on the Government's must-do coalition agenda is setting up the promised constitutional review.

It is very late, having been promised to the Maori Party, in the confidence and supply agreement, for no later than early 2010.

The Government can get away with such a breach of deadline, because so few people care about it.

It is neither uppermost on voters' minds nor lowermost. It is not on their minds at all.

The review is keenly anticipated mainly in the beltway, and by intellectuals within Maoridom. The delay is not a bad thing.

It means more thought has been given to the process and it is less likely to be a once-over-lightly affair.

There is no reason to rush it.

As Prime Minister John Key said this week, a "long conversation" is planned. That will suit both sides.

National is not itching to have a conversation about the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in a possible written constitution of New Zealand, and definitely not in election year.

So remote has its interest in the subject been, National actually refused to take part in the last review, a parliamentary review conducted by United Future leader Peter Dunne.

Both National and the Maori Party want people on the groups who are not seen to have their own agendas; people who would not allow the process to be hijacked into a Maori sovereignty debate.

Sir Harawira Gardiner's name has been mentioned.

He is a former army officer with a safe pair of hands.

Former law professor and now deputy solicitor-general Matthew Palmer would be ideal too, being the pre-eminent expert in the field, but with an open mind.

Whoever leads it will have to take care that the Treaty of Waitangi relationship between the Crown and iwi is not so all-consuming that it marginalises Pakeha from the process.

Mr Key this week said announcements on his review might be made soon, maybe even next week.