Diary of a House: Waitangi Day

Leadlight at Trinity Glass

Waitangi Day, New Zealand's national day which commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. It is a document which sets out bi-cultural principles and gives Maori the right to self-determination, or tino rangatiratanga. But it was not honoured and in the 1860's this led to war. Fast forward to the early 1970's and Maori voices loud enough to be heard calling New Zealand Day, as it was then, a day of shame. I was 14 and remember the change of tone. Maori rebellion, echoed by minority movements globally, demanded justice and we started to re-examine how the principles of te Tiriti had been applied in Aotearoa. The period of colonisation saw alienation of large tracts of iwi land, appropriated and reassigned to Pakeha. This caused war and the defeat of Maori saw them lose even more land. Ngai Tahu, in the South Island, campaigned against this straight away. Their settlement was reached in 1996 and now the iwi is an economic powerhouse of the South Island. Whina Cooper started a peoples' movement in 1975 with her slogan of 'Not one acre more,' and a hikoi which gathered hundreds of followers on the way to Parliament House in Wellington. Many other tribes have settled with the Crown but some, like Nga Puhi are still in negotiations. Others are occupying disputed land, Ihumātao. And Polynesian immigrant communities are claiming their right to be here as tuakana, or siblings of the Māori culture.
As a colonised nation we are actively trying to right the wrongs and the damage done by colonisation. There is lots to love about this small country.....the relaxed vibe of the Polynesian cultures, the soaring snow clad mountains, clean air, space, NZ reggae, Fat Freddies Drop, 2 degrees of separation, beaches with lots of room, short winters, good pinot noir, outdoor living, few poisonous biting animals, the front lawn, the back yard....