Unity says Kia ora!
One of the most important things that ever happened in Aotearoa happened in 1840. It was a promise. Let's find out what was promised — and why it still matters today.
📖The Treaty story
Read this story together — take turns reading a paragraph each if you like. This one covers some big ideas, so go slowly and talk as you go.
Unity sat under an old pōhutukawa tree near the sea at Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands. The tree's roots twisted down to the water's edge, gnarled and ancient.
"This is where it happened," she said.
In February 1840, Māori rangatira — chiefs — and representatives of the British Crown sat down together and signed an agreement. That agreement is called the Treaty of Waitangi, or in te reo Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
At the time, more and more British settlers were arriving in Aotearoa. There was growing confusion about who had authority over what. The Treaty was meant to sort that out — to set the rules for how Māori and the British would live alongside each other.
The Treaty had three main ideas. First, Māori would allow the British Crown to govern New Zealand. Second, Māori would keep authority over their lands, their villages, and their treasured things. Third, all people in New Zealand would have the same rights.
There is one big complication. The Treaty was written in two languages — English and te reo Māori — and the two versions say slightly different things. Some words meant one thing to Māori signatories and something different to the British. Those differences caused deep misunderstandings.
Over the decades that followed, many promises in the Treaty were broken. Māori land was taken. Rights were ignored. That caused enormous harm that New Zealand is still working to understand and repair today.
The Treaty of Waitangi is called New Zealand's founding document. It is the agreement that began our country as a partnership — and understanding it honestly is part of understanding who we are.
💬Talk and think
Questions to explore together
These questions go a little deeper than usual. Let the conversation go where it needs to — there are no wrong answers, and it's okay not to have all the answers.
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What makes a promise important? What happens when promises are broken?
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Why do you think it matters that the Treaty was written in two languages with slightly different meanings?
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What do you think partnership between two groups of people should look like?
🔍Explore more
Take a few minutes to read through these facts together. The dates and names here are worth knowing — they are part of every New Zealander's story.
Full name
Te Tiriti o Waitangi —Treaty of Waitangi
Signed
6 February 1840, at Waitangi, Bay of Islands
Who signed
Māori rangatira (chiefs) and the British Crown
The three promises
Governance, protection of Māori rights, equal rights for all
The complication
Two versions — English and te reo Māori — with different meanings
Waitangi Day
6 February — a national public holiday marking the signing
🤝Do it together - Make a family agreement
This activity works best if you take it seriously — a real agreement, properly written down and signed by everyone, including the little ones.
- Talk together about what a fair agreement for your household would look like. What does everyone need? What does everyone promise to contribute?
- Write it down in plain language — no more than five rules — and have everyone sign it.
- Then talk about this: what would happen if one person understood the rules differently from everyone else? How would you sort it out fairly? That's exactly the challenge the Treaty has faced.
