Change

 

A spring day in Hokitika

At last we have some regular sunshine. Spring has been very wet for the whole country but now that we are nearly into Summer it's starting to fine up. There has been alot of action here and people are in the process of marching to parliament as the government is trying to change The Treaty of Waitangi which is the country's original legislation of the partnership between Maori and the British during the first days of colonization. Many people, and rightfully so are up in arms about it. Personally I am tired of rich white people running the country into the ground. We need a positive change here but the next lot of general elections aren't until 2026..

Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Tom's signs.

Busby Manor

One from my visits to Paihia when we lived in Kerikeri. The Busby Manor resort is on the waterfront overlooking the beach and was named after one of the country's colonialists James Busby who employed by the Governor of New South Wales (Australia) to protect the more well behaved British settlers and traders in the early to mid 1800s. He also assisted William Hobson in drafting the Treaty of Waitangi.

Linking up with Weekend Reflections and Weekend Roundup.

Rawene Courthouse

 Smack bang in the Hokianga is Rawene and one of the many historic buildings there is the  Rawene Courthouse - classic bit of history, having been built here in 1876, to the plans of government architect William Clayton. It has been said that even after the Treaty of Waitangi, Maori controlled justice in Hokianga, and the building of this court may have marked a change. 

As well as criminal courts, Maori land hearings took place here, and some proceedings to do with a civil disruption called the Hokianga Dog Tax Rebellion in 1898. This building also used to double as a Police Station and there is a separate lock up out the back. The building has moved neatly into retirement service as the town library. 

Linking up with Weekend Reflections and The Weekend Roundup.

The Waitangi Flagpole

See this flagpole? Looks kinda boring right? Well this flagpole has an important history to our country. Located in Paihia on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds it marks the spot where the treaty was first signed on 6th February 1840. The flags that fly today are the 3 official flags that we have had since 1834 - Te Kara (the flag of the United Tribes of NZ), the Union Flag (from 1840 to 1902) and the NZ Flag (from 1902 to present day).

The first flagstaff was gifted to James Busby by Ngapuhi chief Hone Heke Pokai. This was later shifted to Kororareka (Russell). In 1834 a flagstaff was erected by the Royal NZ Navy, replaced in 1947 and the Navy remains the caretaker of the current one to this day.

New Zealand's first flag was chosen at a meeting of chiefs at Waitangi on 20th March 1834 to ensure that ships built and owned by people in this country would be recognized by other nations.  British resident James Busby invited Maori leaders to choose 1 of 3 designs for the flag which later became known as the flag of the United Tribes of NZ (Te Kara of Te Whakaminenga o Nga Hapu o Niu Tireni). 

Britain's acceptance of this flag showed the country was now internationally regarded as an independant nation and started a drive from James Busby to form a government. The Declaration of Independance was created in 1835 followed by the Treaty in 1840.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Tuesday treasures, Through my lens, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the world.

Maharahia te ra tatangi!

Today is Waitangi Day here in New Zealand. As a nation we celebrate the day the treaty was founded which was an agreement made between representatives of the British Crown and more than 500 chiefs in 1840. This house belonged to James Busby, who co-authored the treaty with William Hobson has been well restored and is on the Heritage NZ list as a category 1 listed building.

The treaty however had different connotations and meanings for both Maori and European back then and from what I've come to know is that many chiefs did not truly understand the ramifications of what they were signing. It was created to be an agreement between both cultures and to bring the country to unity, however many breaches of it by different governments over the years have caused anger and strife - the more I've learned the more I've understood why many people are up in arms over it.

Mangungu Mission Church

This historical church is one of the oldest in the Hokianga region and was founded around 1821 as part of the mission house and station. In 1840 this land was where an additional 64 signatures were added to the Treaty of Waitangi and after the deception was discovered at the original signing there was still alot of opposition to this.

After some discussion between one chief and some missionaries they decided it would be good for the Maori people in general. Gifts of tobacco and blankets were given out by Governor Hobson but many people were unhappy with this considering they were trading the rights to their land and asked for their signatures to be removed from the treaty. This was refused  and although there were people who were opposed to this, those who did sign ended up being the most faithful.

It's a pity that such a beautiful spot overlooking the harbour could be part of what is now considered to be a one sided travesty.

Waitangi Meeting House

A month or so ago we visited Waitangi, in Paihia as the area has been upgraded to included a museum named Te Kongahu. Unfortunately for me I left my camera in the car and had to make do with my cellphone camera, so these photos are not the best quality.

This building in these photos is the meeting house which was built in 1940 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the treaty representing all tribes of NZ. The Treaty of Waitangi was made between Maori Chiefs and the British Crown on 6th February 1840 and every years we remember this day as a public holiday. One thing I noticed inside the museum was one of the plaques on the wall said that the treaty was our country's first human right's document. So true, as the Maori Chiefs were not given representation or a language interpreter so therefore they had no idea of what they were signing. I found the whole experience very humbling and a huge learning experience.