The Treaty of Waitangi

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 by over five hundred Maori chiefs and a Crown representative remains to this day a central issue in New Zealand and how uncertainty and confusion have plagued the treaty from its very beginnings. It examines how the Treaty had three objectives: the protection of Maori interests, the promotion of settler interests and the securement of strategic advantage for the Crown.

From the Paper:

"Under the guidance of missionaries, thirteen Maori Chiefs petitioned the King of England to provide some form of control the British nationals residing in New Zealand. King William IV made a token gesture in response and appointed James Busby as British Residence. Busby had no power or means to enforce any law or order; he symbolized the first official British presence in the country. October 1835, James Busby organized the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand. The move was sparked off by the threat of a Frenchman, Baron de Thierry, who was planning to establish a 'sovereign and independent state' on the Hokianga, on a large and disputed land purchase. James Busby's personal dislike of Thomas McDonnell, (appointed Additional British Residence in 1834), was also involved. Busby's main objective was to assert New Zealand's independence under the protection of the British Crown."

More papers on The Treaty of Waitangi:

• Term Paper # 115342 : "The Treaty of Waitangi"
• Research Paper # 147260 : "The Institution of Democracy"
• Term Paper # 150398 : "Development of the New Zealand Legal System"

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