By world standards, New Zealand is a very young country, with European settlement on a large scale only occurring over the last 150 years. While our history (from British colony to independent country) is relatively recent, we can draw on the culture of the first settlers, the Maori, who have been resident here for over 600 years.
On 6 February 1840, in Waitangi, Governor Hobson, representing the British Crown, put his signature to a document signed by 40 Maori chiefs. In essence, this document (now known as the Treaty of Waitangi) ceded sovereignty of New Zealand (Aotearoa) from Maori to the Queen of England. In return, the rights of Maori to their land, forests and fisheries would remain undisturbed and Maori would enjoy the on-going protection of the Crown. The Treaty exists today as a living document and has, in recent years, acquired increasing importance in the development of the nation’s social and economic policies.