Things to Read This Waitangi Day
Image: Andrew Clark-Howard
While the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi impacts all New Zealanders, Waitangi Day is is viewed in a range of ways. For some it is simply the first (or second if you’re in the top half of Te Ika-a-Māui) public holiday of the working year, for some it is a day of protest and politics (viewed positively or negatively), for some it is a commemoration of a key moment in our nationhood. For me, over the last 5 years I’ve woken up before the crack of dawn to get on a ferry and head to Waitangi to be present at the dawn prayer service and the start of the festivities that are held on that historic whenua. This year is different; with COVID looming the events on the Waitangi whenua are cancelled and I’m at home in Tāmaki Makaurau for the weekend. The reason I’ve chosen to spend February the 6th in this way for a number of years is the opportunity for reflection that being present on the Treaty Grounds provides. There is something profound about standing on the whenua where Te Tiriti o Waitangi was first debated and signed before it began its journey around the motu.
The place of my reflection will be different this year, but as a team at Metanoia we think that it is important to pause at this time of year and engage with the significance of Waitangi Day. It is more than just a good day for a BBQ, and it’s the perfect time to engage with and reflect on the history of this country.
I challenge you to take some time this weekend to mark the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to consider the significance that this day has for Aotearoa. Have a look through these resources, share and discuss with friends, whānau, and your church whānau. This article from Leonie Hayden at the Spinoff has a great list of ways that you can acknowledge and give space for Waitangi Day this weekend.
So, we’ve compiled a list of things that are by no means exhaustive, but provide some easy places to start learning about what happened 182 years ago, as well as the more recent history of Aotearoa as a result of Te Tiriti. We also recommend this great course through the Carey Centre for Lifelong Learning that begins in March. If you have something to contribute reflecting on Waitangi Day and how it relates to Christianity in Aotearoa, get in touch at editors.metanoianz@gmail.com. If we missed something off this list, tell us and we’ll update it.
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Resources to Help
Shorter Stuff
Moana Jackson, “Understanding Racism in this Country.” Mãori lawyer Moana Jackson who specialises in Tiriti and constitutional issues reflects on racism in Aotearoa and its effects.
Alistair Reese, “Why Pãkehã Need To Know Who They Are.” Pãkehã public theologian Alistair Reese reflects on understanding Pākehā identity through Te Tiriti and what that sort of relationality entails.
Andrew Picard, “Confessions of a Recovering Racist.” Transcript of the Sutherland lecture delivered at Waitangi during the 2014 BUNZ Hui. A personal and constructive piece in understanding oneself within white privilege and grappling with the history that earned it and why it matters to the gospel.
Te Kuru o te Marama Dewes, “What Does it Mean to be Tangata Tiriti?” Te Kuru o te Marama Dewes discusses with two tangata Tiriti about their understanding of Treaty partnership and their obligations when it comes to tino rangatiratanga.
Longer Stuff
Ani Mikaere, Colonising Myths - Mãori Realities: He Rukuruku Whakaaro. A collection of papers from Māori scholar Ani Mikaere on topics of legal process, Tiriti interpretations, and identity configurations as it relates to tangata whenua. More technical, but very worthwhile.
Jay Ruka, Huia Come Home. Though brief and not without its gaps, this is still the most accessible read out there to situate Aotearoa’s history explicitly in context to Christian identity and witness. If you need a place to start, this is it.
Claudia Orange, The Treaty of Waitangi. The definitive, secular work on Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Malcolm Mulholland and Veronica Tawhai, Weeping Waters: The Treaty and Constitutional Change. A Māori view on constitutional change from a range of voices.
Stuff for Kids
A PDF graphic novel prepared to tell the story of te Tiriti o Waitangi
Gavin Bishop, The House That Jack Built.
Fleur Beale, Mission Girl.
Te Wairua o Waitangi singalong
Videos
A conversation about Waitangi Day and its commemoration between Josie Te Kahu, Leonnie Motu, and Matt Renata hosted by Charles Hewlett, the National Leader of the Baptist Union of New Zealand.
Waitangi—What Really Happened. A TVNZ docudrama following a fictional reporter. A great dramatisation which helps to paint a picture of the events in 1840.
Mānuka Hēnare, Interview. Professor Mānuka Hēnare discusses He Whakaputanga and the Treaty of Waitangi.
Justice Joe Williams, “The Treaty of Waitangi and Whānau, Hapū and Iwi Wellbeing.”
The Negotiators. A television show that interviews iwi leaders that "negotiated" treaty claims settlements with the Crown and what really went on behind closed doors.
Podcasts
Claudia Orange, “Why is the Treaty of Waitangi and its History Important?”
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Jaimee van Gemerden is editor at Metanoia.
