Point Of Divergence

Zuhairha Khan

The Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi)

What is “The Treaty of Waitangi?”

Treaty of Waitangi(Te Tiriti o Waitangi) was a written agreement made in

1840 between the British crown and more than 500 Māori chiefs this

allowed them to live together in New Zealand under a common set of laws

or agreements. After the Treaty of Waitangi was established, New

Zealand became a colony of Britain and Māori became British subjects,

the Māoris, and the Europeans had different understandings and

expectations of the treaty which caused many conflicts, which was later

solved. And so every year in New Zealand, “Waitangi Day”, a public

holiday is held on 6th February to commemorate the signing of the Treaty

of Waitangi.

The Māori chiefs changed their mind

about the agreement and didn’t sign

the treaty at all because their strong

expectations knew what the effect

would be on them and their tribe in

the future, so they decided not to sign

it and therefore the Treaty of Waitangi

wasn’t signed.

Point Of Divergence of the

Treaty of Waitangi:

Event 1:

The Māoris might not have

been safe without the

treaty.

Evidence:Because without the treaty the

Māoris weren’t under any law

they were independent without

any government and so they

were at a risk of being

attacked by other countries.

Event 2:

The British wouldn’t be

able to claim the land or

anything and wouldn’t

have come together with

the Maoris.

Evidence:

Because New Zealand was

an independent country, the

British couldn’t just walk in

and make demands. Māori

chiefs ruled their tribes, so

the British needed them to

accept first.

Event 3:

The Māori chiefs might not

have lost their power and

their ownership of their

lands, forests, fisheries and

other possessions.

Evidence:

Because the Māori and the

English version of the treaty

had differences. The wrong

understandings on the

Māoris side lead them to lose

their power.

What would be different?

Without the Treaty of Waitangi the British and Māori wouldn’t have

come together and the Māori’s would have been in a much weaker

place today and without the treaty the Māori’s wouldn’t have been

safe because other people like the French, Spanish, Russians and

the Americans could have caught interest in New Zealand and

would have been ready to strike.

Sources:● https://teara.govt.nz/en/treaty-of-waitangi

● https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/treaty/making-the-

treaty/signing-the-treaty

● http://media.newzealand.com/en/events/celebrating-new-

zealands-waitangi-day/

● http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id

=1501119&objectid=10418071