TREATY OF WAITANGI - INTRODUCTION. The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and Māori chiefs (rangatira) from the North Island of New Zealand. It has become a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand, and has played a major role in framing the political relations between New Zealand's government and the Māori population, especially from the late-20th century.

1. THE TREATY OF WAITANGI
INTRODUCTION
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3. WHY WE CAN’T THROW THE TREATY AWAY?
1. New Zealand has a public holiday called Waitangi Day.
2. Both the Government and Maori would have to agree to cancel the Treaty and
that won’t happen.
3. Nothing in the text suggests it was only temporary.
4. It is unlikely that a Government will want to be tainted with the legacy of
taking away the Treaty.
5. The Crown broke the Treaty. Taking it away will not make these wrongs go
away.
6. The inequalities that exist between Pakeha and Maori would still be there.

4. WHY WE CAN’T THROW THE TREATY AWAY?
7. It would remove the right of the Government to rule.
8. It would remove the right for non-Maori to be allowed in Aotearoa.
9. New Zealand would lose the respect of other countries. We are looked at as
world leaders of indigenous relations.
10. Maori need a strong economic base to thrive and colonisation damaged the
thriving Maori economy.
11. Education is important to stop misinformation about the Treaty and early
colonisation from spreading.
12. Making things better for Maori will make things better for all New Zealanders.

5. WHAT IS A TREATY?
A Treaty is a formal agreement and an exchange of promises between
two or more parties such as groups, organisations and countries, written
and ratified (approved by all parties).
It is binding on the parties.
Once they have signed it they are supposed to stick to it.

6. WHY WOULD A TREATY NEED TO BE CREATED?
• To end a war
• To allow a colonising country to
take over and set up rules in
another country
• To create a union/partnership
• To stop nuclear weapons being
built
• To make a trade deal
• To sort out borders
• To help get human rights
• To decide who is allowed to come
and live in countries
• To seal friendship between different
groups/countries

7. CONTRA PROFERENTEM
When European countries like Britain and France colonised Africa and the
Americas, they signed treaties with indigenous peoples to make their
colonisation legal.
These treaties generally favoured the colonisers (the Europeans). This is
because many of the people that were colonised were oral cultures (did not
write things down), therefore they did not always understand the ins and
outs of what they were signing.
Today, Contra Proferentem is an international law saying the indigenous
version of the treaty is the one to use.

8. TREATY OF WAITANGI - INTRODUCTION
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNyfSPm1jYU