The Evening Star MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1934. WAITANGI.

Evening Star, Issue 21637, 5 February 1934, Page 8

The Evening Star MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1934. WAITANGI.

Wait.vngx for many years has been little more than a name to the majority of white New Zealanders. It was fitting that, with the purchase of the site and its environs by their Excellencies Lord and Lady Bledisloe and the gift of them to form a national reserve, it should become more than that, and that the anniversary of the treaty’s signing should be honoured this year by national celebrations on the historic spot. New Zealanders in London showed a sound sense of the importance of things in choosing the day when the treaty was signed for the “ New Zealand Day ” which last year they inaugurated, and it is to be expected that, alike in this country and away from it, the day will be more distinguished in the future than it has been before. That is well, because it was with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi that the history of Now Zealand as a portion of the British Empire began. The proclamations issued from Sydney on January 14 and by Lieutenant-Governor (afterwards Governor) Hobson on the beach at Kororareka (present-day Russell) on January 30 were dependent for their validity on the assent of the Native chiefs, which was given thereby. To the Natives, who have always remembered its importance, and who have initiated the present celebrations, the treaty was the safeguard of their rights and liberties under British rule. It was a brief document, of only three articles. But more faithfully than most documents of its kind, both sides have observed it, and in no country have the relations of alien and original races been fused more satisfactorily than in New Zealand. The British Government did not want another colony. The missionaries did not want it. But the hands of both were forced because, apart from other influences, the only alternative was an Alsatia. The Queen’s sovereignty had to be extended, and the Maori had to give up his independence to save him from becoming the prey of nondescript settlers and adventurers whose arrival could not be stopped and who could not otherwise be controlled. And it was the influence of the missionaries, both Anglican and Methodist, that made the treaty possible. Under vastly different conditions from those of the first gathering Maoris representative of all the tribes, pakehns official and unofficial, travelling by special trains, Harotongan chiefs and dignitaries from Australia, have been flocking to the place where history was made ninety-four years ago. Travelling was slower at that earlier time. Maoris still malfe the same sort of jokes, but the satisfaction and harmony of to-day’s and to-morrow’s gatherings will be something different from the doubts and excitement of the original drama. Hobson’s frigate, the Herald, lay in the harbour, which was alive with canoes. For two days (we abridge Mr Buick) the sailors outlie Herald had been labouring upon the erection of a large marquee, with a framework of ship’s spars and a covering of ship’s sails. It stood approximately ono hundred yards in front of the Residency [which still stands], upon the sloping grounds then “ neatly planted with native and exotic shrubs which shaded a verdant turf, more pleasing to the eye from its strangeness and contrast with the brown fern mantle of the country.” It was surrounded by a series "of smaller tents intended to shelter those Natives who, for reasons of social inferiority or otherwise, might not be able to find a place within the larger structure. At one end was erected a raised platform upon which seats were arranged, and on which there stood a table covered with a large Union Jack, while the sides were decorated with a liberal display of the Herald’s bunting, and “ the effect was very good.” The British flag waved bravely over the whole scene until the official proceedings were begun, when it was lowered as an indication that sovereignty had not as yet been ceded to the Queen. The ships in the harbour had likewise marked the occasion by displaying all their bright flags, and in the brilliant sunlight the scene was one of picturesque animation, not the least interesting feature being the blue-shirted settlers—British and American—promenading on the ample open space between the house and the tent. As a counterpoise to these, there were the groups of Natives squatting on the ground, each “ hapu ” discussing

with ample gesticulation and volubility the treaty from their own immediate point of view. “ It was estimated that there must have been 1,500 people on the ground, including 600 within the tent. Among the Americans present were several of the scientists of the United States Antarctic exploring expedition under Commander Wilkes. Food became scarce as the proceedings continued, and more Natives from places further alield kept on arriving. The Maori speeches on the first day—February 5 occupied four hours. For some time they were mainly hostile, and it was Wnaka Nene, a Methodist convert with a great past as a warrior, who first turned the tide in favour of the treaty. The land sharks and speculators, who knew that settled government would mean the end of their unscrupulous practices, had not failed to prejudice as many as they could against the document. There were some who doubted how far its provisions were really understood by the Maoris. The speeches make plain that they understood them just as well as any of the white men, and were as capable of determining the grave issues involved. The second day saw the signing of the treaty. Hone Heke signed fii-st, and forty-two other chiefs followed him. in the next five mouths further signatures were collected by missionaries and agents throughout the colony to the total number of 612. Te Heu Heu, of Taiipo, was one of the very few chiefs who refused to sign, a refusal of which his successors were jocularly reminded last week, when the representative of another tribe reproached them with enjoying undeserved benefits from the treaty. As To Heu Heu’s people were situated well inland, they had less need than others of the law’s protection. The name “ AVaitangi ” means “wailing water.’’ It can be imagined what significance would have been found *in that association if the treaty had worked badly.