The Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the European Crown and the Maori chiefs in 1840 in Waitangi. The Treaty was

signed because the Pakeha wanted power over NZ and the Maori chiefs were signing because they thought they would still have control. However, there was some confusion because the Maori and the Pakeha didn’t quite understand each other. After the Treaty was signed many Europeans immigrated to New Zealand. They started a government which excluded Maori. In 1867 the Maori were allowed to join the government but there were only 4 seats. This was unfair because even though Maori were part of the government, there were a lot more Europeans. After some time, the Europeans dishonored their promise to the Maori and confiscated most of their land and other belongings. By this time the Pakeha owned most of the South Island and ⅕ of the North Island. However, the Europeans wanted all of New Zealand. The Maori figured out a way to keep their land. They crowned a man king. His name was Te Wherowhero but when he became king he took the name Potatau. This led to the beginning of the New Zealand wars. The wars began in Taranaki in 1860. The war lasted for 1 year but other wars started in other places around NZ.

The British Crown and settlers committed group sin against the Maori by dishonoring The Treaty of Waitangi. One example of this group sin is confiscating land. The Maori and Europeans has different ideas about land ownership. Maori believed that groups (or tribes) of people belonged to the land, but the Europeans believed that only one person could own a piece of land. Europeans bought the land off the Maori people, and, later took the land through force. Maori had no land to live on so they became angry. Another example of group sin is the Europeans executing and detaining prisoners. The result of this was a decrease in Maori population. There was a lack of justice in this act. Many Maori lost their family members and their lives.

Christian people can restore tika and pono to the Treaty of Waitangi by learning Te Reo. By learning the native language, we could bring back Maori culture. Another way to restore tika and pono is continuing give back historical lands to the Maori through the Waitangi Tribunal. This would help resolve some grievances between the Maori and the Pakeha.

By Maranita

http://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/the-signing-of-the-treaty/