Round the bays: a quick tour of key Treaty locations
by John Ansell
Thought I’d try and narrate the story of the drafting of the Treaty while panning around the four relevant locations:
- Russell (then Kororareka), to which Hobson escaped from HMS Herald’s cantankerous Captain Nias to spend the night of February 3rd
- Okiato, the point just around from Russell where Hobson and Busby composed the final English draft at the 8-room home of US Consul James Reddy Clendon on February 4th.
- Paihia, to which Hobson and Busby were rowed in the afternoon of the 4th, in time for Hobson to deliver his final draft to translator Rev Henry Williams at the Church Missionary Society’s mission station, now a church.
- Waitangi, to which the Maori Tiriti was taken on the morning of February 5th, along with the final English draft from which it had been translated overnight by Henry and his son Edward Williams, and read to a large crowd of Maori and Europeans in a marquee constructed by Royal Navy sailmakers. After much discussion on the night of the 5th, 40 chiefs decided to sign the Tiriti on the 6th, surprising Hobson and forcing him to come ashore in his suit — and not the full naval regalia depicted in paintings.
You are very thorough, John. Great work.
Lets hope you get the invite on the Willy and JT show; but they’d be foolish if they did. Maybe when Miles Davis or Rodney Hide would be a much better bet when stepping in for Michale Laws. Keep listening to the radio shows people and phone them up and make you case. When they hear you on the radio it gets people thinking and asking questions.
We don’t have a voice so make our own voices heard laud and clear.
John..
I could not find a forum section on this site so sorry for posting this unrelated topic here:
The annexation of New Zealand to the British Crown is officially recognised as having come about by the right of cession from the Maori chiefs (Treaty of Waitangi) in respect of the North Island and by the right of discovery in respect of the South Island (Cooks proclamation in Queen Charlotte Sound on 30 Jan 1770).
At Mercury Bay (North Island) on 15 November 1769, Cook wrote, “before we left this bay we cut out upon one of the trees near the watering place, the ships name, date @ca and after displaying the English colours, I took formal possession of the place in the name of his Majesty”.
Can any one please explain to me why there is a distinction between the way the South Island and North Island were annexed and why Ngai Tahu have recourse under the TOW?