New Zealand’s National Day – Waitangi Day

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 6^th 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 6^th 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

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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.

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