The Treaty of Waitangi – A sacred covenant
The Treaty of Waitangi is a ‘living document’, the basis for an ‘agreed understanding’ between Aotearoa New Zealand’s chiefs of hapū and iwi, and the Crown. It was intended to provide direction for future growth and development. An official day of holiday and celebration is observed annually on 6 February.
Waitangi Day: The Treaty Is a Partnership
Each year on 6 February in Aotearoa New Zealand, we celebrate Waitangi Day commemorating the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840 between Māori rangatira (chiefs) and the Crown. Admittedly, New Zealand has a history of ignoring Te Tiriti, but in the last 50 years particularly our governments and many institutions have worked with […]
Waitangi Day 2023
Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi signed in Aotearoa New Zealand Seen as New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, in Te Ika a Maui, (the North Island) of Aotearoa (New Zealand). The document outlines the principles to which […]
A Māori Way of looking at the world
To commemorate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (9 August), Sr Makareta Tawaroa reports from Whanganui Aotearoa New Zealand. I live in my marae (village) among my own whanau (family). I am just another member of our whanau. This is where I am most at home. We are part of the land, […]
Indigenous People Offer Us A Deeper, More Inclusive World
“Think I might be a litte bit in love with Ruby Tui. Bringing te reo to the BBC. Best Olympic interview yet!” Black Fern Ruby Tui’s interview about their win in the women’s rugby sevens Olympic semi-final inspired this Facebook comment from a friend in England. The Black Ferns are predominantly Māori women and […]
Waitangi Day
The Waitangi Day Act 1960 declared 6 February to be Waitangi Day Waitangi Day is a national holiday of thanksgiving in commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty is regarded by some Māori as ‘He Taonga Tapu’, a sacred covenant, a bond with spiritual connotations between peoples, involving obligations on both […]