The Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 by representatives of the Maori chiefs and the European Crown. It was signed in a place called Waitangi which is in the Bay of Islands. The Europeans wanted control and mana over the the Maori land and they eventually sent William Hobson to announce British sovereignty over New Zealand. After the Treaty was signed the Government wanted more land for the British settlers to live on. So there was a war between the Government and the Maori who wanted to retain their land. The Europeans developed their own administration that excluded the Maori, and by 1860 all of the South Island and ⅕ of the North Island was taken by the government or settlers. The Maori were not given any seats in Parliament, until the law changed in 1867 when the Maori were now included in Parliament but were only given 4 seats. By 1845 the Land Wars began, when the government sent British troops into the King Country to take their land by force.
The British Crown and settlers committed group sin against the Maori by dishonouring the Treaty of Waitangi. One example of this is the promise that was broken by the Europeans by not allowing the Maori to have ownership and control their lands and lives. Another example of this is the Execution and the detention of prisoners without trial which caused resentment and anger.
Christian people can restore tika (truth) and pono (justice) to the Treaty of Waitangi by learning the Maori language including teaching maori to students in schools. We could also increase the importance of Maori customs and culture, for example greeting each other with a hongi, removing shoes and respecting tapu when you enter a marae.
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| Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi |
