Honoring History at Waitangi

Thursday, February 8, 2012

How did New Zealand come to be?  What happened to the Maori people who first settled these islands?  How did this become a British colony?  What is the Waitangi Treaty and why was it so important?

There is lots to this story and others can tell it better than I.  If anyone is interested, click on the link above and there will be much information, good photos and more links to tell the complete story.  Last night we went to the Treaty Grounds just down the road from where we are staying to participate in a dramatic presentation about New Zealand's colourful history.  We were a small audience of 17 people who bought tickets for the performance, which was held in an ornately carved meeting house on the Treaty Grounds.  We walked past the Busby Treaty House and the flag pole which was the scene of the signing back in 1840.  Our sponsor, who was also the producer of the drama, introduced himself and set the scene for what would happen next.  

Grandfather and grandson on the right

He first asked for and chose 3 men from the audience to serve as "warriors" in approaching the meeting house.  I was one of the three.  After we rounded the corner we were to be confronted by 3 Maori warriors who would question our worthiness.  One by one, they would throw down and item in front of us.  We were to look them in the eyes, not smile, reach down and pick up the item and then stand there without backing up.  If they perceived us to be worthy, we would all be invited into the meeting house for the performance.  We all three passed the test.

At the meeting house, we reverently removed our shoes before entering, filed in and took our seats.  We all sat in one row of chairs.  The performers, 4 men and 4 women, came out dressed in native costume.  One by one, the 3 of us warriors were called forward to shake hands and touch noses with two of the performers.  That was confirmation of our acceptance.  

The story of the early history of this land was told by a grandfather to his grandson, who asked questions about life back then among the Maori people.  His answers were supplemented by dances and songs by the performers.  It was historically accurate and done very professionally by actors, singers and dancers.  

The British came to the islands thanks to Captain James Cook, who claimed the place for the British and began trade with the Maori.  This led to settlers moving to the islands from Europe and Australia.  Some had good intentions and others were here to take advantage of the lawlessness of the land.  There was continuing conflict over whose land was whose and this led to Missionary James Busby arriving at Watiangi to begin talking peace.  A treaty was written, approved by Maori chieftains and prepared for signatures.  It was presented and signed on February 6, 1840 at the flagpole on the Treaty Grounds.  

Meeting the cast after the performance

That was not the end of the conflict.  Russell, across the bay from Paihia was to be the capital city.  It was known by some as "the hellhole of the Pacific."  Many of the Maori were upset with some of the European disregard for provisions of the treaty and they went on a rampage.  They attacked the church (we saw the bullet holes), burned down most of the buildings in Russell, and tore down the flag at the Treaty Grounds.  This conflict continued back and forth for many years after the signing.

Wikipedia has these comments about the treaty:

Flag pole where treaty was signed

"Today it is generally considered the founding document of New Zealand as a nation. Despite this, the Treaty is often the subject of heated debate. Many Māori feel that the Crown did not fulfill its obligations under the Treaty, and have presented evidence of this before sittings of the Tribunal. Some non-Māori New Zealanders have suggested that Māori may be abusing the Treaty in order to claim "special privileges".[6] [7]The Crown, in most cases, is not obliged to act on the recommendations of the Tribunal but nonetheless in many instances has accepted that it breached the Treaty and its principles. Settlements to date have consisted of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and assets, as well as apologies."

Ornately carved Maori Meeting House