Waitangi Treaty

The Treaty of Waitangi



The Treaty of Waitangi

Treaty of Waitangi

A treaty can be defined as a legal document that is agreed upon and signed by two or more individual and sovereign states. The treaty of Waitangi is also an agreement that basically serves as a covenant or contract between the Royal Crown and Maori hapu with the help of their rangatira. The treaty was signed in the year 1840 with the presence of Captain Hobson as the representative of the Queen and about 500 leaders of Maori. The treaty was written in Maori language and was named as Te Tiriti O Waitangi. The purpose of signing the treaty was to recognize the rights of Maori as charted out in the Declaration of Independence. It allowed the Maori to acquire land in a peaceful manner for settlement purposes. The treaty also ensured that immigrants can come and live in the area with ease and in peace. The treaty also charted out the power granted to the Crown by stating limited governance which was applicable on the British living in the area and to monitor and regulate their settlement in the area. The Treaty used the word “Pakeha” to represent all those who were living in the state of New Zealand without the aid of laws for their protection and coverage. The people were all non-Maori in origin, and the rangatira wanted to provide them protection so that they could settle in the area for trade or other beneficial purposes. The Treaty allowed the Pakeha to live in the vicinity under the governorship of the Queen without the requirement to abide by the British law while the Maori was working according to their own charted out laws (Durie, p 154). In return, the Maori was guaranteed their authority and governance by the Crown over their villages, lands and all other possessions they owned. The treaty also protected religious freedom, language and customs of the Maori.

Two Versions of the Treaty and its Implications The Waitangi Treaty had two different versions; one the “Te Tiriti o Waitangi” in Maori and the other the English version of the treaty. The two versions differed from each other in the manner with which articles were stated in it. The Te Tiriti o Waitangi states and confirms the governance and authority of Maori whereas the English version states that the sovereignty has been granted to the Queen by the Maori, creating a point of conflict regarding the treaty. The Maori version uses the word 'kawanatanga' that means a limited governance of the Crown whereas the English version of the treaty states that the Queen had the sole authority and is the sovereign figure (Dalley & McLean, p 56-57). The next point of conflict is that in the English version, authority has been given to the Maori regarding their physical possessions which the Maori found objectionable as their treaty also gave them the authority to preserve their language, culture and ...