Conflicts & Resolutions · Treaty

Treaty of Waitangi

1840 · 19th century · Also known as Te Tiriti o Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands by William Hobson for the British Crown and more than 40 Māori chiefs, later joined by about 500 more. Its English and Māori texts differ on sovereignty and governorship, a source of lasting dispute. It led to British annexation of New Zealand, and since 1975 the Waitangi Tribunal has investigated breaches, leading to settlements with iwi.

Treaty of Waitangi
Image: William Hobson, James Freeman, and James Busby (English version); Henry Williams and Edward Williams (Māori translation) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

New ZealandFoundation, Governance, Decline, Summary

Mentioned in 3 state histories

United Tribes of New ZealandColony of New ZealandNew Zealand

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Treaty of Waitangi. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/treaty-of-waitangi
MLA
“Treaty of Waitangi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/treaty-of-waitangi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Treaty of Waitangi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/treaty-of-waitangi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Treaty of Waitangi’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/treaty-of-waitangi (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻