Treaty signatories and signing locations

Page 1 – Introduction

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on nine separate sheets by more than 500 Māori. Follow the links below to see each sheet, including a transcript and more information:

Facsimile copies of the treaty made in 1877 are useful for tracing the place and date(s) of signing, and the names of those who signed. The sheets indicate the approximate number of signatures, but the names themselves are not part of any official record. 

Many names on the sheets can be easily read, but others cannot. For ease of reference, the name of each chief was given a number on the facsimile reproduction. This number appears beside the chief's name on the relevant list. The numbers do not always correspond to the sequence in which chiefs signed. A few chiefs appear to have signed twice. Where information or a person's identity is uncertain, this is indicated by a question mark. Where the full name or other names of a signatory have been added, these are enclosed in square brackets. The names are presented in several ways. Sometimes 'Te tohu o', 'Ko tona tohu' or 'tona tohu' (all of which mean 'the sign of') is written beside a person's mark. Sometimes only the name is given.

In a few instances, tribe or hapū affiliation was written on the sheet. A phrase may provide a clue to the location of a small group, but most such information on the list results from subsequent research.

How to cite this page

'Treaty sheets and signing locations', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/treaty/making-the-treaty/treaty-of-waitangi-signing-locations, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 20-Sep-2022