Waitangi Day

As we have now entered February here in New Zealand, I thought the first blog of the month should be about New Zealand.

Firstly a few little known facts about my beautiful country:

1 Baldwin Street Dunedin - Is apparently the steepest residential street in the world, with a gradient of 35% (believe me when I say it's a bitch to walk up)

2 In 1988 Queenstown held the worlds first commercial bungee jump (looks awesome and is meant to be better than sex, however I haven't tried it yet)

3 N.Z has won more Olympic gold medals per capita than any other country (was shocked at that fact)

4 N.Z gas a reptile called the Tuatara that has managed to outlive the dinosaurs

5 We have more bookshops per head than any other nation (big readers us kiwis)

6 N.Z was the first country to have our top three positions of power held simultaneously by women - Prime Minister, Governor General and Chief Justice (the country ran a hell of a lot smoothly then)

7 Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy masterpiece, really put New Zealand on the map, earning us the name Middle Earth world wide. (no we aren't all hobbits with big hairy feet)

They are just a few of the things that New Zealand is famous for, and lets not forget the Maori Haka that our national rugby team the All Blacks made famous

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The 6 of February here in New Zealand is Waitangi Day and this is what this blog will be about. Yes guys and gals a true meaning.

Waitangi Day commemorates a significant day in the history of New Zealand. It is a public holiday held each year on the 6 of February to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, on that date in 1840.

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in a marquee erected in the grounds of James Busby's house (now known as the Treaty house) at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Maori right to their land and gave Maori the rights of British subjects. There are differences between the Maori and English language versions of the Treaty, and virtually since 1840 this has led to debate over exactly what was agreed to at Waitangi. Maori have generally seen the Treaty as a sacred pact, while for many years Pakeha (the Maori word for New Zealanders of predominantly European ancestry) ignored it. By the early twentieth century, however, some Pakeha were beginning to see the Treaty as their nation's foundiing document and a symbol of British humanitarianism. Unlike Maori, Pakeha have generally not seen the Treaty as a document with binding power over the country and its inhabitants. In 1877 Chief Justice James Prendergast declared it to be a 'legal nullity', and it still has limited standing in New Zealand law.

The purchase and presentation of James Busby's run-down house by Governor-General Lord Bledisloe. The house was purchased in 1932 and presented to the nation. The treaty house and grounds were made a public reserve, which was dedicated on 6 February 1934. This event is considered by some the first Waitangi Day, although celebrations were not yet held annually.

1940, another major event was held at Waitangi house, commemoration the 100th anniversary of the treaty signing. This didn't get as many attending, partially due to the outbreak of World War 1 and partially because the government had recently offended the Maori King. The event was still a success and helped raise the profile of the treaty.

Annual commemorations of the treaty signing began in 1947. The 1947 event was a Royal New Zealand Navy ceremony centering on a flagpole which the Navy had paid to erect in the grounds of Waitangi house. The ceremony was bried and featured no Maori. The following year, a Maori speaker was added to the line-up, and subsequent additions to the ceremony were made nearly every year. From 1952, the Governor General attended, and from 1958 the Prime Minister also attended, although not every year. From the mid-1950s, a Maori cultural performance was usually given as part of the ceremony. Many of these early features remain a part of Waitangi Day ceremonies, including a naval salute, the Maori cultural performance (now usually a ceremonial welcome), and speeches from a range of Maori and Pakeha dignitaries.

In 1971 the Labour shadow minister of Maori Affairs, Matiu Rata, introduced a private member's bill to make Waitangi Day a national holiday, to be called New Zealand Day. This was not passed into law. After the 1972 election of the third Labour government under Norman Kirk, it was announced that from 1974 Waitangi Day would be a national holiday known as New Zealand Day. The New Zealand Day Act 1973 was passed in 1973.

For Norman Kirk, the change was simply an acceptance that New Zealand was ready to move towards a broader concept of nationhood. Diplomatic posts had for some years marked the day, and it seemed timely in view of the country's increasing role on the international stage that the national day be known as New Zealand Day. At the 1974 celebrations, the Flag of New Zealand was flown for the first time at the top of the flagstaff at Waitangi, rather than the Union Flag, and a replica of the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand was also flown.

It was the election of Robert Muldoon as Prime Minister and the third National government in 1975 that led to New Zealand Day being renamed Waitangi Day. Robert Muldoon, did not like the name "New Zealand Day" and many Maori felt the name debased the Treaty of Waitangi.

Although this is New Zealand's national day, the commemoration has often been the focus of protest by Maori activists and is often marred by controversy. From 1971, Waitangi and Waitangi Day became a focus of protest concerning treaty injustices, with Nga Tamatoe leading early protests. Activists initially called for greater recognition of the Treaty, but by the early 80's, protest groups were more likely to argue that the treaty was 'fraud' with which Pakeha had conned Maori out of their land. Attempts were made by groups including the Waitangi Action Committee to halt the celebrations. This led to major confrontations between police and protesters, sometimes resulting in dozens of arrests. When the treaty gained greater official recognition in the mid 80s, emphasis switched back to calls to honour the treaty, and protesters generally returned to the aim of raising awareness of the treaty and what they saw as its neglect by the state.

Many people, both Maori and Pakeha, feel that the treaty itself is being overshadowed by media coverage of protests, especially where the political leaders are involved or caught in the crossfire. In particular Ngapuhi, whose ancestors were the main treaty signatories at Waitangi, have often been antagonistic towards protesters and have sought to keep Waitangi Day as peaceful and uncontroversial as possible.

The majority of New Zealanders, don't even know the history of the whole Waitangi Day, and just look at the day as a day off. The sun is still shining and alot of towns hold open concerts, so people make the most of the day, either with concerts, get togethers, or beaches and pools.

My opinion is that New Zealand is a multi cultural country, not just Maori's and Pakeha's so there fore we should rename the 6 February to New Zealand Day. Lets make it a celebration of the country we live in now, and all the things this little country has achieved. The Pakeha and Maori who live in New Zealand and all the over the world, are not the same Pakeha and Maori who signed the Treaty. And that needs to be remembered.

Watching the Maori's doing the welcome at Waitangi House and their Haka brings me out in goosebumps, it is truly a sight to be seen. I'm glad that mostly on the whole New Zealander's will put their differences aside and stand proud.