The Treaty of Waitangi is New Zealand’s founding document, almost. Almost because New Zealand was there until the English settlers came upon New Zealand when Maori people were already there. The treaty of Waitangi was signed by the English settlers and high Maori chiefs – but not all (Orange, 2012).

Between the Maori and English versions of the Treaty of Waitangi, it is clear that both versions have been worded differently. This vitally contributes towards misunderstanding between the Maori and the English. English language is very sophisticated compared to Maori, when translating the treaty, Henry Williams and his son Edward were the only two english people who could translate the treaty from english to maori (N.D., 2017). The word ‘sovereignty’ did not exist in Maori language, the word english used was, ‘kawanatanga’ which meant governance (N.D., 2012). This ultimately led the Maori to believe that they would still have authority “to manage their own affairs and ceded a right of governance to the Queen in return for the promise of protection.” (N.D., 2012).  Another major difference is that the english version “states the british intentions were to protect Maori interests from the encroaching british settlement…” (N.D., 2012). Whereas the maori version states that the “Queen’s main promises to Maori were to provide a government while securing tribal rangatiratanga and Maori land ownership for as long as they wish.”(N.D., 2012).

The Treaty of Waitangi is certainly a part of New Zealand’s history which people can learn and take a lesson from. Today, it is the spirit of the treaty that matters as it is a historical event.

References:

Claudia Orange. (2012) ‘Treaty of Waitangi – Creating the Treaty of Waitangi’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from:

https://teara.govt.nz/en/treaty-of-waitangi/page-1

N.D. (2017) Ministry for Culture and Heritage. ‘The Treaty in brief’. Retrieved from:

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/treaty/the-treaty-in-brief

N.D. (2012) Ministry for Culture and Heritage. ‘Differences between the texts’. Retrieved from:

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/treaty/read-the-Treaty/differences-between-the-texts