Treaty of Waitangi
New Zealand's founding
The Treaty of Waitangi is New Zealand's founding document, signed in 1840 between the British Crown and Māori chiefs.
It established British sovereignty while guaranteeing Māori rights to their lands and resources.
Disputes over its interpretation—particularly differences between English and Māori texts—have shaped New Zealand politics and race relations ever since: The claim was heard by the Waitangi Tribunal.
- founding documentEstablishing text of origin
- whakapapaMāori ancestral lineage system
- chiefTop-ranking leader
- biculturalOf two cultural backgrounds
- colonizationForeign territorial takeover
broken promises · tino rangatiratanga · mana · Aotearoa · imperialism · indigenous resistance · indigenous identity · common law · grievances · Māori · oral histories · cloak · land · cultural preservation · partnership · rights · disputed · tribunal
- Maori heritageAotearoa, Maori, mana, pa, tapu
- 1840sQueen Victoria, daguerreotype, telegraph, Oregon Trail, potato famine
- 19th Century TreatiesCongress of Vienna, Geneva Convention, Hague Conventions, Berlin Conference, Holy Alliance
- constitutionsbill of rights, constitutional amendment, constitutional reform, clause, clauses
- Maori HistoryMaori, Aotearoa, waka, pa, greenstone
- New Zealand HistoryMaori, colonists, settlers, colonial period, British sovereignty
Treaty of Waitangiconstitution
Inherent physical or structural makeup