The Archive

Friday is Waitangi Day. Hurrah!

Friday sees the celebration of the signing of the treaty of Waitangi, which Wikipedia describes thus…


The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Māori rights to their land and gave Māori the rights of British citizens.


So far so good. Doesn’t sound like the normal ‘Elbow past a native, stick a flag in it and call it British’ approach to empire does it?

But wait. There’s more…

There are significant differences between the Māori and English language versions of the Treaty, and virtually since 1840 this has led to debate over exactly what was agreed to at Waitangi.


Aha. So the English version said

"Dear Moaris. Thanks for the land and all that. Let’s all get along and not make too much of a fuss eh? Your bit of land is over there. Unless we find something of value on it, of course. But that goes without saying doesn’ t it? Don’t worry though, you’ll still get your beads."

Whereas the Maori version said…

"Dear Maoris. We hereby grant you loads of freedoms and rights. The British arrival will be celebrated as a great gift for years to come. And every man shall be given a musket, a mule and a nice cup of tea every day at 5."

But if these subtle differences were not enough, there’s still more….

Māori have generally seen the Treaty as a sacred pact, while for many years Pākehā (the Māori word for New Zealanders of predominantly European ancestry) ignored it.


Right. So it didn’t really matter what it said then, did it? Or did it?...

By the early twentieth century, however, some Pākehā were beginning to see the Treaty as their nation's founding document and a symbol of British humanitarianism.


Looks promising. But…

Unlike Māori, Pākehā have generally not seen the Treaty as a document with binding power over the country and its inhabitants.


Oh, dear. And more but…

In 1877 Chief Justice James Prendergast declared it to be a 'legal nullity'.


Oh. So not much of a treaty after all, is it?

Still, at least we let them keep their digeridoos, which are bloody annoying if you ask me, so they should be grateful.

posted by Peter The Great @ 3:46 PM