New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was prepared over just a few days in February 1840. Several versions of the Treaty were taken around the country for signing. Find out how the Treaty came to be drafted and locate the signing places of the different copies.
Amalgamating Maori into colonial settler society was a key part of British policy in New Zealand after 1840. Economic and social change, along with land-purchase programmes, were central to this process.
Between 8 November 1939 and 4 May 1940 more than 2.6 million people visited the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition in Wellington; this represents an average daily attendance of about 17,000 people. The government spent £250,000 – more than $19 million in today's money – on the exhibition.
Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. For most people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially
for Maori, it is a time for reflecting on the Treaty and its place in modern New Zealand.
The New South Wales government played an important role in New Zealand in the 1830s. An official British government presence in New Zealand was made in 1833 with the appointment of James Busby as British Resident.
By the end of 1840 about 540 Maori, including 13 women, had signed the Treaty of Waitangi; all but 39 signed the Maori text. Some had clear expectations about what their agreement would bring; others chose not to sign the Treaty at all.
The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1835. Maori have seen the short document as British recognition of an independent Maori nation, although at the time it seems to have had little practical effect.
The pressure to sell land was a key factor in the creation of the Kingitanga. Before European settlement Maori could not sell land and few chiefs had the mana or authority to gift land. But by the late 1840s secret deals with government officials were occurring.
New Zealand became a British colony in 1840, legitimised by the Treaty of Waitangi and Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson's declaration of 21 May declaring sovereignty over the islands.
From the 1940s the Treaty and Waitangi began to find a place in the national consciousness. For most New Zealanders, they were of historical interest only.
By the later 1830s the British government grew concerned about how land was obtained from Maori. Action was needed, it decided, to protect the interests of Maori from the worst ravages of European impact.
Protecting Maori, regulating land purchases, controlling the activities of settlers and dealing with the potential influx of migrants came together in British policy in 1839; New Zealand would be annexed.
The Treaty of Waitangi is on permanent display in the Constitution Room at Archives New Zealand in Wellington. It has not always been so secure. Water, time and rodents all took a toll on the documents in the past.
Modern New Zealand has debated the Treaty of Waitangi as never before. Understanding, reconciliation, protest and confrontation have been part of this process.
Ngāi Tahu signed a Deed of Settlement with the Crown in 1998. This completed almost 150 years of the tribe's struggle to have the Crown honour its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi.
The flagpole at Waitangi. For years the New Zealand navy ensured that it was kept in good condition. From 1974, three flags have usually been flown on it - the New Zealand flag, the Union flag, and the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand chosen in 1834.
Donald McLean had a long career as government official, politician and
provincial superintendent. Fluent in Maori, he played a key role in
relations between the races in New Zealand.
Henry Williams was a missionary who supported British annexation. He believed that Maori should be protected from lawless Europeans and fraudulent dealings. He and his son Edward translated the Treaty of Waitangi into Maori.
Colenso arrived at the Bay of Islands as the Church Mission printer in December 1834. His achievements include printing the New Testamont in Maori and the Maori version of the Treaty of Waitangi.
William Spain was a land commissioner who investigated the New Zealand Company's claims that it had purchased 20 million acres in 1839. The claims were not settled until several years after Spain's death
Edinburgh-born James Busby was British Resident, a consular representative, in New Zealand from 1833. Based at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, he was given little material support to achieve British policy aims, but in early 1840 he helped William Hobson draft the Treaty of Waitangi.
After a lengthy Royal Navy career in which he saw action in the Napoleonic Wars and was twice captured by pirates in the Caribbean, William Hobson (1792-1842) became New Zealand's first Governor.
Bay of Islands Nga Puhi chief Hone Heke was an influential Maori voice in favour of the Treaty of Waitangi. However he later became a leading opponent of British rule in New Zealand.
The Waitangi copy of the Treaty was first signed at Waitangi on 6 February 1840. See interactive version of the Treaty document and information about all the signatories
Matene Te Whiwhi, about 1870. Henare Matene Te Whiwhi was of Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Toa. As a young man he lived through the turmoil of his people's migration to the Cook Strait region. This may have formed the major theme in his life – the preservation of peace.
The Treaty of Waitangi is central to understanding the broad survey of New Zealand in the 19th century. It affected the lives of New Zealanders in the 19th century, affected race relations and the evolution of settler government, and played a significant role in the origins and consequences of the 1845–1892 wars.
Charles Crofts (Negotiator for Ngai Tahu) and Doug Graham (Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi negotiations) hongi after signing the Ngai Tahu settlement, 24 September 1997
