The government announced that it had agreed to the Waitangi Tribunal’s recommendation that Takaparawhā (Bastion Point) on the southern shore of Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour be returned to local iwi Ngāti Whātua.
Waitangi Tribunal
Events In History
18 March 1983
In a landmark ruling, the Waitangi Tribunal found that the Crown’s obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi included a duty to protect Māori fishing grounds.
5 January 1977
Led by Joe Hawke, the Ōrākei Māori Action Committee occupied Takaparawhā (Bastion Point reserve), a promontory overlooking Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour.
10 October 1975
The Labour government created the Tribunal to hear Māori claims of breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. It has evolved ever since, adapting to the demands of claimants, government and public.
Articles
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week
Every year since 1975 New Zealand has marked Māori Language Week - Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. This is a time to celebrate te reo Māori (the Māori language) and to use more Māori phrases in everyday life. In 2018 Māori Language Week runs from 10-16 September. Read the full article
Page 6 - Waitangi Tribunal claim
The Waitangi Tribunal claim for te reo
Waitangi Day
Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. For most people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Māori, it is a time for reflecting on the Treaty and its place in modern New Zealand. Read the full article
Page 5 - Waitangi Day 1970s
Waitangi Day, a public holiday from 1974, briefly became New Zealand Day in the 1970s. Increasingly, it became a focus for Māori protest
The Treaty in practice
Amalgamating Māori into colonial settler society was a key part of British policy in New Zealand after 1840. Economic and social change, along with land-purchase programmes, were central to this process. Read the full article
Page 6 - The Treaty debated
Modern New Zealand has debated the Treaty of Waitangi as never before. Understanding, reconciliation, protest and confrontation have been part of this
Treaty timeline
See some of the key events between 1800 and 1849 relating to the Treaty of Waitangi. Read the full article
Page 4 - Treaty events since 1950
Learn about some of the key events from 1950 onwards relating to the Treaty of
The Treaty in brief
The Treaty of Waitangi is New Zealand’s founding document. It takes its name from the place in the Bay of Islands where it was first signed, on 6 February 1840. The Treaty is an agreement, in Māori and English, that was made between the British Crown and about 540 Māori rangatira (chiefs). Read the full article
Page 1 - The Treaty in brief
The Treaty of Waitangi is New Zealand’s founding document. It takes its name from the place in the Bay of Islands where it was first signed, on 6 February 1840. The Treaty is an
Page 2 - Treaty FAQs
Answers to some common questions about the Treaty of
Biographies
As minister of Māori affairs Matiu Rata helped set up the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975. He later left the Labour Party to form Mana Motuhake, the first modern Māori politcal party.
In 1972 Norman Kirk broke National’s 12-year-long grip on the Treasury benches and became Labour’s first New Zealand-born PM.
Main image: Reclaiming Bastion Point - roadside stories
Video about Ngāti Whātua's occupation of Bastion Point in Auckland during the late 1970s.
