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 […]
Toitu Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Behold the Treaty of Waitangi
On 6 February 1840, over 500 Māori Rangatira (chiefs) put their names to an important document called Te Tiriti of Waitangi or the Treaty of Waitangi in Aotearoa New Zealand. This document was written in two languages, one in English and one in Māori. It was written by James Busby and Captain William Hobson. They […]
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 […]
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 […]