Contents:

Page 3 - The Petition

Page 4 - The Treaty Of Waitangi

Page 6 - Causes of the Land Wars

Page 7 - The New Zealand Company

Page 8 - The New Zealand Land Wars

Page 10 - Consequences of the Land Wars

Page 11 - Significance of the Land Wars today

Page 12 - The End!

Page 13 - More information

Page 15 - Timeline

Page 16 - Quick video

Leah Bell and Waimarama Anderson are two school girls who started a petition with over 11,000 signatures. Their goal was to achieve a public holiday in New Zealand to remember the Land Wars. The girls presented their petition to the Beehive in 2015 and they even had the support of King Tuheitia (the Maori King). In this book, we will discuss the Treaty of Waitangi, the New Zealand Land Wars and why it is still important today.

The Petiton!

The Treaty of Waitangi or Te Tiriti o Waitangi is known as the founding document of New Zealand. It was first signed on the 6th of February 1840 by British Crown Representatives and Maori Chiefs from the North Island of

New Zealand.

The Treaty Of Waitangi!

However, there was an issue

with the translation of the

treaty. This mistake was the

use of the word 'sovereignty'

in the English version.

Te Reo did not have a correct

translation and a word with a

significantly different meaning was

used. This confusion was what

ultimately led to the Land Wars

of New Zealand.

There were also many other reasons that caused the Land Wars to happen. First of all was land (or whenua), the British wanted it and the Maori had it. Secondly, was the miss-understanding of the treaty when it was signed in 1840 (as explained on page 5). The Maori thought the British had only gained the first right to buy land, where in actual fact they agreed to let the British take land off Maori tribes (or Iwi) for un-fair prices and reasons. The third main reason was the Maori Chiefs fear of their whenua 'slipping out of their hands' and they became un-certain of the future of their people.

Causes of the Land Wars!

The New Zealand Company was a British company that wanted colonisation in New Zealand in the early 1800's. They brought Maori land through 'questionable dealings' even before the treaty was signed. This organization was also responsible for a lot of conflict in the Land Wars.

The New Zealand Company!

The Land Wars happened in New Zealand in 1840 and onward between the British Crown and Maori tribes. Some Maori people fought on the side of the British and they were known as 'Kupapa'. Throughout this time, many wars were fought all over New Zealand. The British would use threats like land confiscations to punish tribes that fought against the Crown.

The New Zealand Land Wars!

In the 1840's, the first series of wars took place. In the 1860's and 1870's the largest war was fought between the British Empire and the Maori King. More wars were started in retaliation to the British punishment of taking away land from the Maori and for a while, there was a never ending cycle of wars in New Zealand. The last land war took place in 1916.