Treaty of Waitangi: Creation, Interpretations, and Differences

Introduction:
The Treaty of Waitangi was a reconciliation signed between British Crown and Māori tribes on
6th February, 1840 in North Island, New Zealand. It is considered as New Zealand’s founding
document. The term ‘Treaty of Waitangi’ was acquired from the name of the place where it was
first signed. In this Treaty, British and Māori tribes made an official agreement to build and
establish a government in the nation of New Zealand. The Treaty was written in two versions or
languages, that is, English (representing British intentions) and Māori (representing Māori point
of view). This essay is comprised of the creation of the Treaty, the explanations of certain
specific terms used in English and Māori versions, British and Māori interpretations of the
Treaty of Waitangi, differences between interpretations, and a conclusion (DOMINY, 1993).
Creation of the Treaty:
During the 1830s, New Zealand was controlled by Māori and was one of the main international
trading sites for Europeans. As the trade augmented, so did the good relations as well as violence
between Māori and British people. Therefore, to maintain law and order, cope up with the
violence, and resolve the existing issues, European traders requested British Crown to make a
government over there. The British government finally responded to their requests in 1839 and
assigned Captain William Hobson as a delegate to a free New Zealand and lieutenant governor to
those parts of the country that Māori will approve to become British. Therefore, in January 1840,
Hobson and his secretary James Freeman made some rough points for the Treaty which was
further enhanced and finalized by a British officer James Busby. Also, the Treaty was converted
into Māori by missioner Henry Williams and his son. Some of the Māori leaders signed the

Treaty while some were against it. However, among the Māori leaders who signed the Treaty,
most of them signed the Māori version (Fisher, 2013).
Specific terms and their explanations:
The translation of the Treaty of Waitangi from English to Māori was critical as certain English
terms such as governance, sovereignty, and others, had no corresponding words in Māori. This
was due to the difference in the ruling styles of British government and Māori leaders. British
government followed legislative and monarchial rule of leadership while Māori chiefs believed
in decentralization of management and administration. Following are some of the terms that
created contradictory views and confusions among the two versions of the Treaty:
Kawanatanga – This term is derived from a Māori term ‘kāwana’ (governor) and usually
translated as governance. However, according to certain historians, when Māori chiefs came
across this term in the Treaty of Waitangi, they misunderstood its meaning as governorship
rather than governance indicating the functions of William Hobson. This distinct change in the
perception of meaning impacted the choice of Māori leaders to sign the Treaty.
Rangatiratanga – It is a Māori term having no exact English meaning. The closest English
translation of this term is overall authority, advantages, and chieftainship. Māori chiefs were
assured 'te tino rangatiratanga' or the incompetent act of chieftainship over their materialistic
properties such as land, village, and riches (Ludbrook, 2014).
Governance – Governance is defined as all the procedures, authorities, and control involved in
running a nation.

Sovereignty – Sovereignty is defined as the power or supremacy of a state or nation to rule itself
or other states and nations.
British interpretation of the Treaty:
According to English version of the Treaty, the British Crown wanted to defend the interests of
Māori from infringing British settlement, accommodate British people, and make a government
for maintaining law, peace, and order. The British description stated the three main articles of the
Treaty, that is,
 The chiefs of the united, separated, and independent tribes of New Zealand conceded all
their rights and authorities of sovereignty (exercised by them in their respective areas) to
the British Crown.
 The British Crown assured and confirmed the chiefs, tribes, and people of New Zealand
with the exclusive and uninterrupted ownership of their properties including lands and
fisheries as long as they want to own it. However, the tribes and chiefs provided the
British Crown with the special rights for purchasing and taking over the complete
possession of the land if the native owners wanted to sell it (Murray, 1999 ).
 The British Crown provided the native people of New Zealand with all the benefits
related to British subjects. This meant that the Queen of England offered the native
people of New Zealand with royal protection as well as all rights and advantages of
British subjects.
Māori interpretation of the Treaty:
Māori tribe heads were convinced to sign the Treaty based on their understandings (on the Māori
version of Treaty) and view points on various areas of concern. They were looking forward to