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| Waitangi Treaty grounds. |
Note:
I am not going to list everything that happened in New Zealand in regards to
Waitangi Day. This is just the basics to what was happening when the day became
a national day.
Waitangi
Day is New Zealand’s national day, which is different from many national days
for example when historical figures arrive in a country and raise a flag. The national day represents the signing of
the Treaty of Waitangi between Maori and the British government in 1840 at
Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. The Maori at the time thought they were getting
a fair deal that lead to many issues years later including the New Zealand
Wars. The treaty was written in two parts, in two languages and the Maori
version was written overnight by Missionaries. The issues between the two parts
of the treaty revolve around the two different meanings. The Waitangi Treaty
was not the only treaty that had been signed by the Maori as there had been a
Declaration of Independence in 1835 by the Northern Chiefs who wanted British
rule instead of other countries like France. The national day has been a cause
for tension and protest for Maori since it began.
New
Zealand’s national day was lobbied for in 1960 to make the 6th of
February with the view to make it a day of thanksgiving and commemoration. It
was not until 1974 the public holiday became known as New Zealand Day and by
1976 the day had been changed to Waitangi Day. The government hoped the
anniversary would become distinctive to New Zealand instead of being something
about war like ANZAC Day. There are many varied views about Waitangi Day and
they range from people thinking the treaty signing made the people of New
Zealand one or others hold the view that the Pakeha (White person) have ignored
the articles within the treaty. The common belief is the Maori did not
understand what they were signing and the ramifications from the treaty. The
Maori view the treaty as a living thing especially as the Maori version has the
most signatures in other words the treaty has mana. The Maori translation
actually has the biggest status in international law as the Maori view the
document as a binding contract.
The
treaty itself has been the cause for tensions throughout long after it had been
signed. The Maori had the impression they would keep possession of their land
and would be undisputed under the terms. They also believed the treaty would
exempt them from paying taxes on their land. There were tribes or Iwi as they
are known who did not sign the treaty after traders and missionaries travelled
around the country during the 1840s with copies as Maori did not think the
treaty applied to them. The common belief is that there is one version of the
treaty that is revised and not two parts used to settle grievances. There is
not always clarity about which version of the treaty representatives would use
in their rulings as the English version is usually looked at instead of the
Maori version. Many of the land sales before the treaty was signed in 1840 were
no longer valid and the treaty signing was partially in fear of other nations
claiming land within New Zealand like the French. The Maori had the impression
there would not be many more arrivals of foreigners until they began turning
up.
During
the 1960s there was a revival amongst the Maori to reclaim land as many were
moving into urban areas. As Maori moved into towns and cities many thought the
lands had begun to lose importance. This lead to revived pride in the land
through the Maori land marches along with several other movements in the early
1970s to bring awareness to the government and pakeha of their grievances that
related towards the treaty. Waitangi Day protests began in 1971 and the day to
the Maori community is a day of protest. The Maori land march in 1975 was led
by Whina Cooper who with 5,000 people marched to Wellington from the far north
of the North Island to hand over a petition with 60,000 signatures. The word
for march was actually a hikoi. At the time Whina had been 80 years of age when
she marched across the country with her supporters. There were other protests
during the 1970s including the Raglan Golf course which had been owned by
Maori, but used as an airfield during World War II. The land had not reverted
back to the traditional owners afterwards.
Politicians no longer attend the events at
Waitangi after they have been harassed by protesters opting for quiet events in
Wellington. The Queen even has had clothing thrown at her during one Waitangi Day
visit. Around the same time as the land marches the Treaty of Waitangi Act of
1975 was created and this in turn created the Waitangi Tribunal. The Act was
used to look into the breaches of the treaty since the signing. It was not
until around 1985that the tribunal began investigating the breaches and there
were payouts awarded to various groups across the country. The government does
not hide the fact there is unrest or misinformation about the signing of the
Waitangi Treaty. They did help to produce a booklet about the different aspects
of the treaty including the demonstrations in regards to The Maori.
Waitangi
Day began as a national day on the 6th of February in the 1960s
called New Zealand Day and then changed to the day everyone knows as Waitangi
Day. On the same day in 1840 the treaty signed by Maori chiefs in Waitangi,
which is also the name of the treaty. The day is not without its issues or
tensions that have been bought to the surface. The day actually has different
meanings to the different groups of people in the country. The Maori seen the
day as one for protest about what they have lost through the treaty and many
pakeha people feel the day is one of celebration being part of New Zealand. Not
everyone is aware of the problems of the past in regards to the treaty or the
national day. Politicians who have turned up to the events in Waitangi have been
harassed by many of the protesters who turn up to protest. The government have
tried to appease the problems in regards to the treaty by the creation of the
Waitangi Tribunal in response to the Maori land marches around the same time
and also the Waitangi Act of 1975.
Waitangi Day maybe the national day for New Zealanders to celebrate, but when
looking below the surface there are not always people who are happy about what have
occurred in the past and in regards to the trouble, the government has
responded by investigating the reasons behind the tension and trying to correct
past mistakes. No matter what someone’s view towards the day it will be a
national day that has problems that are no worse than other national days
except that it revolves around the signing of a treaty.
Sources
Blumhardt, Hannah ‘Multi-textualism, 'treaty
hegemony' and the Waitangi Tribunal: Making sense of 19th century Crown-Maori
negotiations in Te Urewera’, Victoria
University of Wellington Law Review, 43, Jul 2012, pp. 263-287.
Keane, Basil
‘Waitangi Day incidents video’, The
encyclopaedia of New Zealand, http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/video/35936/waitangi-day-incidents,
accessed 3, accessed March 2015.
Keane, Basil
‘Story: Ngā rōpū tautohetohe – Māori protest movements’, The encyclopaedia of New Zealand, http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/nga-ropu-tautohetohe-maori-protest-movements/page-2,
accessed 3 March 2015.
King, Michael The
Penguin History of New Zealand, Auckland, Penguin books, 2003.
Kola, Jason ‘Re: Treaty of Waitangi twisted’, Gisborne Herald, 2015, http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/opinion/columns/article/?id=40634,
accessed 3 March 2015.
Mein Smith, Philippa
'Extracts: A concise history of New Zealand' A
concise history of New Zealand, Port Melbourne, Cambridge University Press,
2005. Extracts, pp. 47-53 and 227-237.
McLaughlan, Gordon A short history of New Zealand, Auckland, Penguin Books, 2014, pp.
61 – 62.
Reed, A.H. The
Story of Northland, Auckland, A. H. & A. W. Reed, 1975.
Stokes, Evelyn ‘The Treaty of Waitangi and the
Waitangi tribunal: Maori claims in New Zealand’, Applied Geography, 12, 1992, p. 177.
‘Treaty of Waitangi, Questions and Answers’, Network Waitangi Otautahi, 2012, http://nwo.org.nz/files/QandA.pdf,
accessed 3 March 2015.
‘Treaty of Waitangi’, New Zealand, http://www.newzealand.com/au/feature/treaty-of-waitangi,
accessed 17 March 2015.
‘Waitangi Day: The First Waitangi Day’, New Zealand History, http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty/waitangi-day/the-first-waitangi-day,
accessed 17 March 2015.
‘Whina Cooper leads land march to Parliament’, http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/whina-cooper-led-land-march-te-ropu-o-te-matakite-reaches-parliament,
accessed 26 January 2016
