History
of the Maori People
European
Arrival
Maori Wars
Traditions of the Maori
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in February 1840, is thought to be the equivalent of the constitution of New Zealand. It was signed by prominent members of British and Maori governments. In a nutshell, Maori were given British citizenship in return for a guarantee of property rights and tribal autonomy. The treaty itself contains three articles, in Maori and in English, which translate to mean slightly different things.
Article 1:
In the English version of the text, Maori leaders give the British Queen "all the rights and powers of sovereignty" over their land.
In the Maori version of the text, Maori leaders give the British Queen the complete government over their land.
Article 2:
In the English version of the text, Maori leaders and people as a group and individually were confirmed and guaranteed "exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands and estates, forests, fisheries and other properties." In the English version, Maori also yielded to the Crown and exclusive right to purchase their land.
In the Maori version of the text, Maori leaders were guaranteed the unqualified exercise of their chieftainship over their lands, villages and all their property and treasures. Also in this version, Maori agreed to give the Crown the right to buy land from them should Maori wish to sell it.
Article 3:
This article translates to roughly the same thing in both versions, unlike the previous two articles. In this Article, the Crown gave an assurance that Maori would have the Queen's protection and all rights accorded to British Subjects. In other words, they were considered to be British Subjects and thus under Crown protection.