Treaty of Waitangi

By Aanalise & Eden

Treaty of Waitangi.The Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, was meant to be a partnership between Māori and the British Crown. Although intended to create unity, different understandings of the treaty, and breaches of it, have caused conflict. From the 1970s the general public gradually came to know more about the treaty, and efforts to honour the treaty and its principles expanded.

Why was the treaty signed?● Maori people feared New Zealand would be invaded by the French; so they wanted the british protection.● The British were very strong.● There were lots of different tribes and it was difficult to communicate.● No national governments or leaders.● Maori land was being sold in disorganised way.● There were no laws, rules and guidelines were needed.

Why does the Treaty of Waitangi have a flag?

Waitangi flag has a + in the corner with four stars and the English flag from England because the people first man who signed it was English.The flagstaff marks the spot of where the treaty was signed. The flag was made out of wool and linen, on the ship tory during the voyage to New Zealand from England. Waitangi flag has the same colours as the NZ flag.Waitangi day is an appropriate time to fly the national maori flag.

Proposed designs for a NZ flag

The maori flagThe Waitangi flag

What was in the treaty?

There were two treaties one in Maori and one in English, but when the English treaty was being translated into Maori by Edward and Henry Williams. They made several mistakes causing the Maori and European to expect different outcomes. There were three articles in the treaty, but some lines got changed completely when they were translated. The maori chiefs that signed the treaty thought they were agreeing to a partnership but due to the mistranslation this was not the case. It is the second and third articles have caused controversy through the years, mainly because of translation problems.