New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was prepared over just a few days in February 1840. On the day that it was first signed, there were versions in English and Maori. Was the Treaty drafted too quickly? Did the Crown officials know what they were doing? Was the translation into Maori rushed, ambiguous or misleading? These and other questions have been debated since 1840.
About 40 chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi on 6 February 1840. By the end of the year, about 500 other Maori, including 13 women, had put their names or moko to the document; all but 39 signed the Maori text. While some had clear expectations about what their agreement would bring, others chose not to sign the Treaty at all.
Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson expected the chiefs to mull over the Maori text of the Treaty for three days. He was surprised to be called to the meeting on 6 February, so he arrived at Waitangi alone and in plain clothes except for his plumed hat. Former British Resident James Busby called up the chiefs, starting with Hone Heke. Each signing was followed by a handshake and greeting from Hobson: 'He iwi tahi tatou' (We are [now] one people). About half of the chiefs had also signed the Declaration of Independence.
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.
Hobson (who served from 1840 until his death in 1842) and Robert FitzRoy (who served between 1843 and 1845) were naval officers. Their administrations were grossly under-resourced. They were challenged in providing even the most basic infrastructure while preserving harmony between the British settlers and the numerically and militarily dominant Maori.
Kahu-Kahu Hokianga River, 1839
Maori fort, 1837
