Category: Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi, often referred to as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand. Signed on 4th February 1840, the treaty formalized the relationship between Maori and the Crown (Kingi 2007). The Treaty of Waitangi consisted of 5 parts namely: the preamble, 3 articles and the postscript and exists in Maori and in English.…

History has played a significant role in shaping New Zealands current constitutional system. New Zealand has no entrenched single document that forms our constitution. Rather, history has shaped the evolution of New Zealands current constitutional system. Since colonial times New Zealands legal history has had a marked effect on the development of our constitution. A…

The British granted New Zealand independence in 1935 but by 1940 it had become obvious that Britain needed to take control of New Zealand, this greater form of control was to come in the treaty of Waitangi in 1840. The motives behind the signing of the treaty vary greatly from Maori and Pakeha. Britain held…