The Treaty of Waitangi Founds a Nation
On this day · 6 February 1840
On a single February morning in 1840, dozens of Maori chiefs and the British Crown signed the document that still defines New Zealand.
On 6 February 1840, on the lawns before the British Resident’s house at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed by Captain William Hobson, several English residents, and between 43 and 46 Maori rangatira (chiefs). The first to sign the Maori-language text was Hone Heke.
The agreement was drafted in two languages, and the wording diverged in ways that still matter. Where the English text spoke of ceding sovereignty, the Maori text used kawanatanga (governance) — a gap that has fuelled debate ever since.
Copies were carried the length of the country, and by September around 500 more chiefs had added their names.
The treaty’s three articles addressed Crown authority, the protection of Maori possessions and lands, and the rights of British subjects. Today it is regarded as New Zealand’s founding document, and the anniversary is marked each year as Waitangi Day.
Sources & references
3 referencesWell-established. Corroborated by 3 independent sources.
