Week 4 Blog Post

Week 4 - He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti

Oh my goodness, what a theme for the week: ‘When cultures collide.’ I am Māori. I am proud to be Māori! I have questioned my entire life, am I Māori enough? I have also wondered about others' perceptions of me calling myself Māori. I grew up Te Ao Pakeha, have an Irish surname, and appear with a rather pale complexion. According to my lens, I don’t look Māori. I did not learn about Te Ao Māori: my culture, identity or language until I was in my early 30’s. So, engaging in this week's learning where I walk in both worlds has been overwhelming to say the least!

For many years, I have heard several different narratives around the Treaty of Waitangi. Until only a few years ago, I have used the English name for this context because these dominant narratives serve the dominant culture of Aotearoa - Pākeha. One being that Māori just didn't understand what they were signing and that was essentially a "them" problem. Another being that Māori were desperate for help because they were sick of in-fighting. And another being that Māori were an uneducated savage race that needed colonising. Upon my learnings and hearing counter narratives, I have begun referencing this document as Te Tiriti, something that resonates with me more now. When you engage in learning and take the time to listen, read and be truly open to accepting a different truth, it is overwhelmingly evident that pre and post Te Tiriti, māori have been dehumanised, marginalised and oppressed. 

Upon arrival in Aotearoa, Māori established social structures based on whānau and hapū, which formed parts of larger iwi groups linked to ancestral waka. Each hapū and iwi exercised self-governance and adhered to unique tikanga. Notably, the concept of overarching sovereignty was unfamiliar to Māori, and mana, or sovereignty, was considered inalienable (Hēnare, 2018).

The increasing presence of European settlers and the potential for colonization by other nations spurred Māori to unify in an unprecedented collective manner (O'Malley, 2018). The 1835 signing of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni (the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand) reflected divergent interpretations: the Crown viewed it as a safeguard against foreign intervention, whereas Māori understood it as a reaffirmation of rangatira sovereignty and a means of mitigating the challenges posed by European settlement (Ministry of Education, 2022).

Just five years after increased British settlement, William Hobson was tasked with securing a treaty with Māori, under explicit instructions to gain their willing cession of sovereignty, not through coercion or deception (Aotearoa History Show, 2019). This indicates an initial, officially stated intent to respect Māori tino rangatiratanga, an intent that was ultimately undermined. Two versions of the treaty were created: the English Treaty of Waitangi and the Māori Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The English version, hastily translated overnight by inexperienced individuals, introduced neologisms due to the absence of direct Māori equivalents, resulting in terms unfamiliar to Māori (Tawhai, 2023). Crucially, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the version read to and signed by most chiefs, including those who did not fully comprehend the new terminology, promised tino rangatiratanga. In contrast, the English Treaty of Waitangi asserted Māori cession of sovereignty and control. Consequently, the envisioned partnership rapidly devolved into full-scale colonisation, highlighting a fundamental discrepancy between the treaty's two versions and their respective interpretations.

Despite the protections promised by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Crown, in the years following its signing, engaged in widespread deception, land theft, and confiscation. This was underpinned by the Doctrine of Discovery, which unjustly asserted that Māori lacked property rights and the capacity for self-governance (Ngata, n.d.). The resulting influx of British settlers and the dehumanization of Māori directly precipitated the New Zealand Wars, which were fundamentally land disputes.

Tawhai (2023) highlights the enduring inequalities faced by Māori, tracing their origins to the early breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These breaches undermined Māori self-determination and development. Educators must acknowledge this historical context, uphold Te Tiriti as a promise of specific provisions for Māori, and ensure Māori-led decision-making for future progress.

References:

He Tohu. (2018, June 27). He Tohu Interview [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzpUfKu-7PI&t=2s

Ministry of Education. (2022). Aotearoa NZ’s histories in the NZ curriculum. Ministry of Education. 

Ngata, T. (n.d.). Doctrine of Discovery [Fact Sheet]. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eQN8b7VIuuTEA6Da-b6U36FAPoCUHqgV/view?fbclid=IwAR3kf-02nEBToIKoIYLO4olokfL-JV3113JPW6FMvCiQa7o143-xcqA7BwM 

O’Malley, V. (2018, February 4). Without He Whakaputanga, there might have been no Treaty of Waitangi. E Tangata.

Tawhai, V. (2023). Mā te ihu o te waka - Te Tiriti as our guide in educational settings. In R. Averill & P. Te Maro (Eds.), Ki te Hoe! Education for Aotearoa (pp. 40-60). NZCER Press.

The Aotearoa History Show. (2019, October 14). Season 1 Episode 4: Te Tiriti o Waitangi [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xc7GySsFuA