The Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on the 6th February 1840 in Waitangi. It is a controversial document as well as the founding document of Aotearoa. Peace was the reason for the treaty to be made. As it turns out, what was intended, was not exactly accomplished.

On the 5th of February there was a gathering where the Treaty was discussed. The features of the Treaty and the things that were going to be included in the Peace Treaty were discussed on that very occasion. Just a day later, on the 6th February the signing began and there were two versions of the Treaty. There was a total number of 39 chiefs that signed the English version. Over 500 chiefs signed either one of the Treaties. Then copies of the Treaty were taken all over New Zealand on horseback. Only 9 of the several copies survived, and are here, now, today.

By signing the Treaty Maori were giving full governorship of their land to the Sovereign. The Queen had guaranteed that while giving up governorship, full chieftainship would still be in the Maoris’ possession. The Maori actually had pretty good lives so they didn’t absolutely need to sign the Treaty. The only reason would be that they didn’t want the wars to continue.
While wanting the wars to stop, the sovereign also wanted to own more land. They thought that the Maori were living as savages and wanted to give them the same rights and privileges as the British subjects. The hopes of the British succeeded, but on the other hand for the Maori they didn’t.

Henry Williams, translator of the Treaty from English to Maori and back again, discovered that a word-for-word translation of the two treaties would be impracticable/ impossible. That is the reason that there are many differences between the two versions of the Treaty of Waitangi. Some Maori chiefs disagreed with the British and did not sign the Treaty. The British were fair and didn’t force any person to give up precious land and Taonga such as graveyards, fishing areas, etc. Captain William Hobson was sent by the Queen and he was the governor of all places that were given up. He did not force or put any of the Maori under pressure and was reasonable with them. He was also one of the few that got together and wrote the Treaty.

“The spirit of the Treaty is the thing that matters most,” some commentators have said, and to most it is true. It’s the founding document of Aotearoa and it brought the Maori and the British together, although some may object others agree strongly. Imagine life without it. There would probably be no buildings, schools, shops, etc. So, in conclusion, although some may object, Te Tirirti O Waitangi isn’t at all bad. It’s the spirit that counts most and after all, it is the founding document of Aotearoa.

By Namisha