It was still a bit overcast today with some light showers through the night. I was up early and keen to get moving.
It was pretty straight forward today, a shortish hike of 22km along a good track and I wanted to make good time so I could hang around at the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi for the afternoon.
Well, I thought it was straight forward until I took an unexpected detour (got lost!) and had to backtrack for 15 mins until I found the route again. I’m not sure where my head was at, I think I was just cruising along!
This morning was a hike through the pine forest of Waitangi, past Mt Bledisloe, through a golf course and on to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
This land and its history is significant, then and now.
This is not my country nor are Māori my people. I don’t presume to understand the intricacies of the politics of the day or current discourse on the interpretation of the Treaty and the contemporary understanding of it regarding land rights.
Some facts seem to not be disputed though and I can only interpret them through my own First Nations’ heart and head.
The Treaty was agreed between representatives of the British Government and Māori Chiefs from the North Island.
Sounds simple, right?
Can you imagine what it must have been like in 1840, the hustle and bustle, the long deliberations, debates and arguments, and the cacophony as this was conducted in many languages, between the primary players, and with commentary from the secondary ones such as the missionaries.
On the day, only 26 chiefs, of the 46 present, signed the Treaty.
A further 50 meetings were held around the country and 500 additional signatures were eventually added.
And still, there were chiefs who not only refused to sign but mounted an active resistance!
And maybe those chiefs were on to something.
You see, there is a discrepancy between the English version of the Treaty and the Maori version, relating to ‘having’ and ‘ceding’ sovereignty.
I’m sure you can work out which side had which version of this agreement.
During the second half of the 19th century, Maori people lost land ownership.
Much later, in the 1950’s, Māori increasingly used the Treaty as a platform to reclaim land and land rights.
And then, in 1975, the NZ government passed the Treaty of Waitangi Act and established the Waitangi Tribunal, a permanent commission of enquiry tasked with interpreting the treaty and researching breaches by the British Crown or its agents AND suggesting means of redress
.
(Mmm. Hello Australia. We could learn something here...
Always was, always will be...just sayin’)
Anyway, it is an honour to hang out here, to sit on the grass and to imagine it all unfolding on the day. The museum is also well worth a look. It is actually one of my favourite museums in the world; small and story based. You know I love a good yarn!
Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the flagpole is the site of the first signing of the Treaty on 6 February 1840. The flags flying are the Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand (from 1834) the Union Flag (from 1840) and the New Zealand Flag (from 1902).
This remnant is part of the 9 sheets of the Treaty of Waitangi.
I love this message, hanging in Te Kongahu Museum of Waitangi. Let’s learn from our history, learn to value all cultures and recognise and value the strength of our humanity.
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