Waitangi Day

Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi is remembered in New Zealand on the 6th February, the date on which the treaty was first signed in the Bay of Islands between the Crown and Māori. 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi /Treaty of Waitangi

Today we are thinking about the Treaty of Waitangi – ask if anyone knows what that means. 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi – The Treaty of Waitangi is not a single large sheet of paper but a group of nine documents: seven on paper and two on parchment. Together they represent an agreement drawn up between representatives of the British Crown on the one hand and representatives of Māori iwi and hapū on the other. Named after the place in the Bay of Islands where it was first signed on 6 February 1840, the Treaty was also signed at locations around the country over a seven-month period.
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We are looking at the 3 principles of the treaty (simplified here by www.montessorikiwi.com/waitangi). They are: 

• Partnership: working alongside together and valuing the Taonga each other brings. 
• Protection: the Treaty states it’s very important to look after Maori language, knowledge and values; 
• Participation: we need to ensure both Maori and Pakeha have the same opportunities in New Zealand. 

You can find out more about the Te Tiriti here

Discipleship Pathway

If you're interested in finding out more about Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi, and would like to dig into what this means for us today, then you might like this Discipleship Pathway class, lead by Caleb Haurua. 

Caleb unpacks our rich and complicated history gently, encouraging a deeper, undiluted understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi without inferring guilt. He weaves in Biblical truths and suggests a Christian way of thinking about the Church's relationship with Māori culture. This class can even be interesting and helpful for those outside of youth ministry, who are just seeking to understand their place in the Treaty covenant today.

You can sign up and watch these videos for free on the Discipleship Pathway website

Te Tiriti o Waitangi Book

Te Tiriti O Waitangi / The Treaty fo Waitangi - By Ross Calman, Mark Derby, Piripi Walker, Toby Morris. This is a reorua (bilingual) graphic novel that takes a fresh and innovative look at our founding treaty. Te Tiriti o Waitangi - written by Ross Calman and Mark Derby, and illustrated by Toby Morris - is now in all New Zealand schools with Year 7 and 8 pupils.
It reforms the current syllabus with simpler language and illustrations aimed at helping 10- and 12-year-olds with a Year 6 reading level.

Other Resources

Scripture Union have a collection of ideas and resources to help your tamariki engage with Waitangi Day, and the Treaty of Waitangi. 

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