Waitangi Day 2010

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the Realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan, and New Zealand Sign Language.   Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni, and as it is the morning (Sign)  

Today marks the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi that gave birth to New Zealand as a modern nation.  On Waitangi Day, our national day, we can reflect on our nation's past, celebrate its achievements, and look to its future prospects.
The Treaty was signed at Waitangi, in Northland, on 6 February 1840.  In May of that year it was signed for the first time in the South Island-here, at Ōnuku Marae in Akaroa.    

As Governor-General, I began the 170th commemorations of the Treaty in the Bay of Islands on the day before yesterday on the paepae at Te Tii Marae. Yesterday, Susan and I hosted a reception at Waitangi for 400 guests, including many Māori and other New Zealanders from the military and from central and local government, as well as many foreign diplomats.  The aim of the function was to recognise the gift of the Treaty grounds to New Zealand by our predecessors in the office of Governor General, Lord Charles and Lady Elaine Bledisloe.  Last night, as the sun set over the Treaty House and the Whare Runanga, I reviewed the formal and traditional ceremony, known as "Beating the Retreat", for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The Treaty was first signed at Waitangi on 6 February 1840.  But history records that, of the 540 rangatira who signed, only about 40 did so with my predecessor Lt Governor William Hobson at Waitangi.   Most signed the Treaty later, as it, or one of several copies, travelled throughout New Zealand.   On 30 May of that year it was signed for the first time in the South Island - here, at Ōnuku Marae in Akaroa.
Historian John Wilson described Ōnuku, along with Green's Point and Takapūneke, also on the eastern side of  Akaroa Harbour, as "places as important as Waitangi."

Iwikau of Ngāti Rangiamoa hapu, and Tikao, of Ngāi te Kahukura, were the first members of Ngāi Tahu to sign.  In the end, only seven Ngāi Tahu rangatira signed the copy of the Treaty that had been taken south by Governor Hobson's deputy, Major Thomas Bunbury, on the HMS Herald. 

Bunbury only called at two other Ngāi Tahu settlements. Despite this, he proclaimed British sovereignty over Ngāi Tahu's lands "by virtue of cession by the independent chiefs."   Unfortunately, this failure of procedure became typical of the Crown's dealings with Ngāi Tahu  and in a series of land purchases in the following years Ngāi Tahu became almost landless.

When the government created the Waitangi Tribunal in the latter part of the 20th century to examine whether obligations under the Treaty had been met, Ngāi Tahu presented its case.   Those tasked with investigating the Crown's dealings with Ngāi Tahu consistently found them to be unjust.  The Waitangi Tribunal's 1991 report said that, in its land dealings with the tribe, "the Crown acted unconscionably and in repeated breach of the Treaty of Waitangi ... [and] as a consequence Ngāi Tahu has suffered grave injustices over more than 140 years."

After the report, Ngāi Tahu's negotiations with the Crown eventually resulted in the signing of a Deed of Settlement at Kaikōura on 21 November 1997. My predecessor in the Governor-General office, Sir Michael Hardie Boys, gave the Royal Assent to the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act on 1 October 1998. Most significantly, on 29 November 1998-here on this marae-the Crown apologised for the wrongs against Ngāi Tahu. 

For more than a century, the people of Ngāi Tahu made claims for fair treatment by the Crown.  To the credit of Ngāi Tahu's leaders and people, the quest for justice was more than just a reminder of the wrongs it had suffered; it was a journey towards a better future. Since the settlement, the tribe has not only protected and significantly enhanced its wealth, but also launched initiatives to regenerate its culture, its language, the health of its people, and the educational opportunities available to them.

On the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, I believe all New Zealanders can benefit from Ngāi Tahu's example.  This is a vision in which the Treaty is not a burden, but a beacon for all New Zealanders.  

Although it is right that we should continue to debate and learn from the past, we should not let that discussion stop us from focusing on the Treaty's underlying promise of a partnership.  Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. However, if we focus too intently on the past, we risk walking into the future backwards, without seeing the great possibilities that lie ahead. 

Since being appointed Governor-General in August 2006, I have sensed a momentum from both the Crown and iwi to address past injustices and seek fair settlements.  As American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr asserted:  "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Much remains to be done.  But as a New Zealander in my mid-60s, blessed in the past year with two grandchildren, I am optimistic that the process of resolving historical claims will be completed in my lifetime. 

Viewing the Treaty as a beacon for the future of the tribe should also remind us of the achievements of New Zealand and New Zealanders in 170 years.  We have established a successful and enduring democracy, which is envied by many people around the world who do not share rights we take for granted.  New Zealanders contribute with valour in many parts of the world to defend democratic values, and several hundred are serving overseas in peacekeeping missions with the United Nations.   Individual New Zealanders also continue to be leaders-for example, in science, technology, innovation, business, sport, and the creative arts.   We can be immensely proud of our young nation as new leaders emerge.

Twenty years ago, the late Emeritus Professor John Roberts, spoke on Radio New Zealand about the sequicentenary of the signing of the Treaty.  This was five years after the jurisdiction of the Waitangi Tribunal had been extended to examine historical claims, and a few years before the first historical settlements.   There was then some uncertainty from both Māori and Pākehā as to the outcome of the process.  
John Roberts foresaw that the process of bringing order to history's "tangled web" would inevitably be slow and marred by misunderstanding.  However, he believed that the Tribunal would one day be seen as a "proud possession of the whole nation." More importantly, he also saw beyond the grievances of the past to a shared future.  He said:

"Years ago, at a conference on race relations in New Zealand, someone proposed ... that Pākehā and Māori would eventually merge into a new and distinct people.  Perhaps in the long run they may, and we shall gain something.  But in the meantime we must deal with the reality of difference. My hope is not only that we may move closer and understand each other more fully but, far more than that, we may enjoy each other."

In the Waitangi Day commemorations that Susan and I have been part of in the past four years, we have had a privileged opportunity to witness the many ways in which New Zealanders celebrate by "enjoying each other". From Porirua and Wellington to Napier, Manukau City, Okahu Bay, Auckland, and Northland, Māori, Pākehā, and all those who call New Zealand home, join as a nation to mark the day as they see fit.

Over the years there have been controversies and negative headlines, but New Zealanders have also honoured the past and thrown themselves into the future with great energy.  

My journey from Waitangi to Akaroa and Ōnuku Marae in the past few days has been prompted by the realisation that what occurred at Waitangi 170 years ago today was only the beginning of the history of the Treaty and of relations between Māori and the Crown.  That day was the first in the story of the Treaty, a story that has featured many tribes and many families across New Zealand over the years. 

This marae and Ngāi Tahu represent our nation's work to seek reconciliation for past grievances and to renew the partnership and the positive force that underlies the Treaty for all New Zealanders.  Ngāi Tahu's courage in the face of injustice and the tribe's long struggle to be able to take its rightful place in our nation's economy and society should inspire New Zealanders everywhere.  The point was well made by the late Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa and Te Ati Awa kuia, Harata Solomon, who was a founding member of the Māori Women's Welfare League. She once said: "My life strides two cultures, every moment of every day.  The demands of both are great.  There are at times conflicts and inconsistencies and here and there compromise, but I am ever optimistic."

On that note of optimism, I will close in New Zealand's first language, Māori, offering everyone greetings, and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours.   No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa