Today New Zealanders are celebrating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the founding document of NZ signed in 1840.
It's a short document, with only 3 articles: the first article of the English version grants the Queen of the United Kingdom sovereignty over New Zealand. The second article guarantees to the chiefs continued chieftainship and ownership of their lands and treasures (taonga). It also specifies that Māori will sell land only to the Crown. The third article guarantees to all Māori the same rights as all other British subjects.
According to the Wikipedia, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the treaty. For one, there are two versions: English and Maori. This has raised debates about interpretation and continues to undermine its effect. he most critical difference revolves around the interpretation of two Māori words, kawanatanga (literally, governorship) which is ceded to the Queen in the first article and rangatiratanga (literally chieftainship) which is retained by the chiefs in the second. Few Māori had good understanding of either sovereignty or 'governorship' and so some academics, such as Moana Jackson, question whether Māori fully understood that they were ceding sovereignty to the British Crown.
Oh, and the treaty was nearly burned to ashes when the government offices in Auckland were destroyed by fire in 1841.
We've all got the day off from teaching, so we're off to Hagley Park to enjoy the sunshine and any festivities that may be happening.
L.
3 comments:
I have been greatly enjoying your blog! You are a great writer (but I already knew that) and bring your new surroundings to life. Keep up the writing, and I'll keep up the reading... Cheers!
Hmm... Part of the document was burned in a fire? It makes me wonder what was lost. Maybe everyone is entitled to a pig and a wagon upon moving there. You should really look into it; you may be able to get a cow or something!
:)
-Ren
Happy National Lamb Day! I hope it was delicious.
Mike.
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