The Idea of a “Flawed Treaty” and its Influence on Students’ Perceptions of the New Zealand Wars

Abstract

This article reports on students’ accounts of te Tiriti o Waitangi as a flawed agreement that was a cause of subsequent conflict. We examine how the notion of a “flawed treaty” is developed in history and educational texts. We argue that when the cause of conflict is attributed to the failures of those engaged in the historical production of the treaty documents, Māori perspectives on the sacred significance of the treaty are obscured, as is the contemporary relevance of the agreement. As much as possible, throughout this article, the capitalised phrase te Tiriti o Waitangi (or te Tiriti) is used to refer especially to the te reo Māori text and the Treaty of Waitangi (or the Treaty) to the English language text of the treaty. ‘The treaty’ (in lower case) refers to an agreement to an ongoing relationship, and where a specific text is not defined.