Treaty of Waitangi - Explanation

On the 6th of February 1840 in Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands there was a treaty being signed. It was between the Maori people and the British people. There had been British settlers staying New Zealand for some time, but unfortunately some of the immigrants started to act badly. This agreement was made to solve all of their problems and make more peace in the land of New Zealand.

The treaty was written in two different languages which meant two different meanings. When the British signed it, they thought that they would be the leaders over the land. But when the Maori signed, they thought that they were the ones who were going to have power. There was a lot of misunderstanding between the two cultures which lead to wars.

The treaty was written by James Busby, a British representative of the queen and was translated by missionary, John Williams and his son. There were lots of Maori chiefs who didn’t want to sign it, but were convinced and eventually signed. There were three parts to the treaty, Protection, Partnership and Participation. Those three P’s are still characters today in our lives at school and everywhere else.