Journey of the Treaty of Waitangi

A DigitalNZ Story by National Library of New Zealand Topics

The journey of Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi and its signatories is as important as Te Tiriti itself. This topic includes the events that followed the signing, and the impacts and shifting attitudes towards Te Tiriti over the years. SCIS no. 1970223

social_sciences, arts, Māori, english, history

Image: Waitangi Tribunal, 2010

Waitangi Tribunal, 2010

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Image: Te Tiriti o Waitangi | Waitangi sheet

Te Tiriti o Waitangi | Waitangi sheet

Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Making the Treaty of Waitangi - Treaty signatories and signing locations

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Printed treaty copy

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Image: Te Tiriti ki Te Moana o Toi Huatahi | Bay of Plenty (Fedarb) sheet

Te Tiriti ki Te Moana o Toi Huatahi | Bay of Plenty (Fedarb) sheet

Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Waitangi Day 1960s - Waitangi Day

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Image: Protests

Protests

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Image: Treaty protest posters: ‘The treaty is a fraud’

Treaty protest posters: ‘The treaty is a fraud’

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Image: badge, protest

badge, protest

Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira

Image: The Treaty

The Treaty

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Image: Protesters with 'Why Celebrate Broken Promises' banner, Waitangi protest

Protesters with 'Why Celebrate Broken Promises' banner, Waitangi protest

Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira

Image: The Treaties

The Treaties

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Image: Where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed

Where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Image: Pūmuka’s Flag: The mending of many hands

Pūmuka’s Flag: The mending of many hands

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Image: Te Tiriti o Waitangi : The Cook Strait Sheet.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi : The Cook Strait Sheet.

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Image: The Treaty of Waitangi in art

The Treaty of Waitangi in art

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Talking Waitangi Day

Services to Schools

Image: First New Zealand Day At Waitangi - (Te Ao Hou - No. 75 March 1974)

First New Zealand Day at Waitangi

The Waitangi Day Act 1960 declared that 6 February would be known as Waitangi Day in commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Prime Minister Norman Kirk in this article answers criticism at Tiriti O Waitangi marae on Waitangi Day 1974 for changing the name to ‘New Zealand Day’. It was the Waitangi Act of 1976 that reinstated the name Waitangi Day.

First New Zealand Day At Waitangi - (Te Ao Hou - No. 75 March 1974)

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Dominion Museum and Carillon, Buckle Street, Wellington

Dominion Museum

The Treaty documents that Thomas Hocken discovered in 1908 in the basement of Government Buildings in Wellington were water damaged and partially eaten by rats. In 1913 the documents were sent by Internal Affairs Department to the Dominion Museum in Wellington. It was here that staff began repair work by filling in the holes in the parchment sheets. However, this restoration work caused more damage!

Dominion Museum and Carillon, Buckle Street, Wellington

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Dr Guy Scholefield

Dr G H Scholefield

Dr G H Scholefield was a parliamentary librarian at the General Assembly from May 1926 to March 1948. He was also controller of the Dominion Archives in 1931 when the Hawkes Bay earthquake took place. He advised the Department of Internal Affairs that the founding documents should be stored well away from earthquake fault lines, such as those found in Wellington. His advice was ignored, and the documents remained for many years in the Government Buildings.

Dr Guy Scholefield

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Rangi Topeora

Rangi Topeora

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Image: Pohaturoa Rock at Whakatane, showing the memorial to Te Hurinui Apanui.

Pohaturoa Rock at Whakatane

This is Pōhaturoa rock in Whakatāne where Ngāti Awa gathers for a dawn ceremony every year on 16 June to celebrate the signing of the Bay of Plenty Sheet by 12 rangatira on 16 June 1840. The sheet was taken around the Bay of Plenty by trader James Fedarb on the schooner Mercury. Anglican missionary Robert Maunsell witnessed the signatures. Gifts of pipes, ditto boxes, looking glasses, tobacco and beads of slate were given out at the Whakatāne signing of the Treaty.

Pohaturoa Rock at Whakatane, showing the memorial to Te Hurinui Apanui.

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Rev William Williams

This is a portrait of Rev William Williams, the brother of Henry Williams, a senior Church Missionary Society missionary who translated the Treaty of Waitangi into Māori. William Williams was given the East Coast Treaty Sheet to obtain signatures of chiefs from the East Cape through to Ahuriri. He collected around 41 signatures. The CMS missionaries and the Wesleyans welcomed the Treaty of Waitangi and helped collect signatures for it.

Rev William Williams

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Tribunal site visit, Wairau

Tribunal site visit, Wairau

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Image: Waitangi Tribunal meets at Ōrākei

Waitangi Tribunal meets at Ōrākei

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Image: HMS Herald at Stewart Island, 1840

HMS Herald at Stewart Island, 1840

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage