2020-02-06 Thu

On 6-February every year, New Zealanders celebrate the Waitangi Day. Waitangi Day gets its name from the name of the treaty document, which in turn got its name from the location in the Bay of Islands where the treaty was signed.

Often described as New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi outlines the principles to which Maori chiefs and British officials made a political agreement to form a nation-state and establish a government. It was made and signed to deal with the quickly changing circumstances in New Zealand: that more and more Europeans were acquiring land from the Maori to establish commercial operations.

The Treaty of Waitangi was first signed 6-February-1840 by representatives of the British Crown and more than 40Maori chiefs. The Treaty was the initial agreement that established British authority, an authority that later moved into the New Zealand Parliament.

Waitangi Day became an official public holiday in 1974, after initially being a holiday just in Auckland and Northland. Waitangi Day is a celebration of the Maori culture. Communities come together with activities such as hangi (traditional Maori food), kapa haka performances (dancing) and tree planting to commemorate the coming together of people.

In the year 1990, Reserve Bank of New Zealand issued a special banknote worth 10 Dollars commemorating the Signing of the Waitangi Treaty. The Reverse of the banknote depicts the British officials and the Maori chiefs signing the document. The note was issued on the 150th Anniversary of the Event.

Image Courtesy: https://www.stampcircuit.com/