Treaty of Waitangi
The Waitangi Sheet of the Treaty of Waitangi | |
| Context | Treaty to establish a British Governor of New Zealand, proclaim the exclusive Māori ownership of their lands and other properties undisturbed by the Crown, and ensure Māori would also enjoy equal rights of British subjects in British fora. |
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| Drafted | 4–5 February 1840 by William Hobson with the help of his secretary, James Freeman, and British Resident James Busby |
| Signed | 6 February 1840 |
| Location | Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, and various other locations in New Zealand. Currently held at National Library of New Zealand, Wellington. |
| Signatories | Representatives of the British Crown, various Māori chiefs from the northern North Island, and later a further 500 signatories |
| Languages | English, Māori |
| Full text | |
| Treaty of Waitangi at Wikisource | |
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The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Te Tiriti o Waitangi), sometimes referred to as Te Tiriti (lit. 'The Treaty'), is a document of importance to the history of New Zealand, and its national identity. The constitutional importance of the Treaty of Waitangi was limited by Crown refusals to recognise it for over a century, and remains contested in the face of on-going colonial resistance, especially from within constitutional systems but also across society despite some legislative incorporations. The cornerstone legislative recognition of the Treaty in the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 represented a paradigm shift and a radically altered official discourse, relating to Māori rights and the relationship between Māori and the Crown. The role of the Treaty in the relationship between Māori and the Crown has become more prominent from the late 20th century. Although the Treaty of Waitangi is not incorporated as a binding international treaty within New Zealand's domestic law, its status at international law is debated. It was first signed on 6 February 1840 by Captain William Hobson as consul for the British Crown and by Māori chiefs (rangatira) from the North Island of New Zealand. The treaty's status has clouded the question of whether Māori had ceded sovereignty to the Crown in 1840, and if so, whether such sovereignty remains intact.
The treaty was written at a time when the New Zealand Company, acting on behalf of large numbers of settlers and would-be settlers, was establishing a colony in New Zealand, and when some Māori leaders had petitioned the British for protection against French ambitions. Once it had been written and translated, it was first signed by Northern Māori leaders at Waitangi. Copies were subsequently taken around New Zealand and over the following months many other chiefs signed. Around 530 to 540 Māori, at least 13 of them women, signed the Māori language version of the Treaty of Waitangi, despite some Māori leaders cautioning against it. Only 39 signed the English version. An immediate result of the treaty was that Queen Victoria's government gained the sole right to purchase land. In total there are nine signed copies of the Treaty of Waitangi, including the sheet signed on 6 February 1840 at Waitangi.