THE TREATY OF WAITANGI

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 47, 7 February 1928, Page 3

THE TREATY OF WAITANGI

Eighty-eighth Anniversary

Speeches by Premier and Sir Maui Pomare

HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF COMPACT

.T To-day is the eighty-eighth anniversary of the signing of the ? Treaty of Waitangi, by -which the representative chiefs of the ,T Maori tribes of New Zealand ceded to the Queen of England all * their rights of sovereignty, and by which Her Majesty extended to the Maoris Her Royal protection and imparted to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects.

Wellington, Feb. 6. Some of the beneficial results of Hthat compact were mentioned by the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. J, G. Coates) in an address, broadcast from station 2YA to-night, reference being made also to the valiant way in which the natives proved their lovalty n >• . • durin g the Great War The historical aspects of the treaty were dealt with m a speech by the Hon. Sir Maui Pomare, who also paid a tribute to the manner in which the present Government had interpreted the true spirit of the compact. THE GREAT TRUST Tho amicable relations and complete understanding now existing between the Maori and pakeha races resident m this Dominion have been brought about by the Treaty of Waitangi, . said the Prime Minister, lhe continued recognition by the various Governments of the moral rights reserved to the Maoris under that compact has been largely responsible for this fraternal union of the two. peoples. Of this there can be no question. At no time has the legislation of New Zealand been callously unmindful, or even indifferent, to the true spirit of the treaty. Never has it been careless of the great trust imposed upon it as the guardian of native rights. This commendable endeavour to observe that justice, which is the paramount interest of all men and all commonwealths, has finally led to the universal acceptance of the treaty by the native race as the basis of their civil and political privileges. “When, therefore, the Great War broke out the Maori tribes throughout New Zealand, recognising their responsibilities as British subjects, by virtue of that treaty, and without hesitation, voluntarily offered the services of their sons to fight the common foe in defence of the Empire. This wonderful response was their generous recognition in 1914 of the protection given them by Britain in 1840. “The acceptance of their services on Gallipoli satisfied the intense desire of this Maori manhood to prove to his pakeha fellow subjects that the moral tie, which held them to tho British Crown under the Treaty of Waitangi, was not one in name only. Our Maori brethren have written tho name of their race large on our scroll of fame, and it is fitting that we, who escaped their glorious fate in defence of King and Empire, should keep their memories green in our hearts, and recollections as their own people have done in the touching lament ‘Piko nei Te Matenga’ (‘When our Heads are Bowed with Woe’). A MOMENTOUS WEEK. “This week 88 years ago was a momentous week for New Zealand,’’ said Sir Maui Pomare. “It was, in fact, the most important period in our history. This is tho anniversary of of Captain Hobson’s proclamation at Kororaeka, of the assumption of the duties of the office of LieutenantGovernor. The next step was to present to the Maori chiefs the draft of the Treaty of Waitangi for their : signature. The treaty provided, first- ’ ly, that the native chiefs should cedo 1 their sovereignty to the Queen of Eng- i land; secondly, that the lands, forests, I fisheries and food places of tho i natives should remain theirs invio- ; late, but that the right of pre-

emptive purchase of their lands should vest in the Crown; and thirdly, that in return for these concessions Her Majesty, the Queen of England, would afford the native race her Royal protection, and impart to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects. “On February 6, 1840, forty-five chiefs of Ngapuhi signed the treaty. The sheets of the treaty were taken from one end of the Colony to tho other, and so very nearly every chief of importance had a hand in its ratification. It was in this manner that New Zealand became a dependency of the British Empire. That piece of paper, the Treaty of Waitangi, is our New Zealand Maoris Magna Charta, but let it always be remembered that it was a purely voluntary act, this handing over of the superior mana of New Zealand to the British Queen. The Maoris did not take the step without careful deliberation. They weighed every word. SHOULD NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. “Some of tho Ngapuhi were suspicious of tho pakeha’s intention, apd it was only through the ecorts of two eminent men that they consented to accept the Queen’s mana. The names of these two men should never be forgotten. One was the Ven. Archdeacon Henry Williams, a very gallon' nan, who, before he became a mis..unary, had been a British naval officer and had served against the French and the Americans. The other champion of the Treaty was Tamati Wake Nene, the great Ngapuhi chief. “One of the causes of the distrust among the Maoris, that led up to Hone Heke’s war at the Bay of Islands in 1845, was the belief that the pakehas, so soon as they became strong enough, intended to seize the Maori lands. This was the result of the attitude of British members of Parliament. Fortunately, such a course of action was not followed. The treaty is as much the charter of Maori liberty and nationalism as it was 88 years ago. “To-day we can say that our troubles are at an end. The Maoris and Europeans are now as one, and we feel that the happy position the Maori occupies in this beautiful land of ours is due in a very great degree to that simple little ‘scrap of paper,’ signed by the grand old chiefs 88 years ago—the Treaty of Waitangi. “Kia Ora.’’