The Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand.

In New Zealand political and social history, the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand, as signed by a number of Māori chiefs in 1835, proclaimed the sovereign independence of New Zealand prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Tribes_of_New_Zealand. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Tribes_of_New_Zealand. ... The history of New Zealand dates back at least seven hundred years to when it was discovered and settled by Polynesians, who developed a distinct Māori culture centred on kinship links and land. ... This article is about the Māori people of New Zealand. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Look up sovereign in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... One of the few extant copies of the Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty first signed on February 6, 1840, by representatives of the British Crown, and various Māori chiefs from the northern North Island of New Zealand. ...

Background and signing

In 1834 James Busby, the official British Resident in New Zealand, drafted a document which he and 35 northern Māori chiefs (including Tamati Waka Nene and Bay of Islands brothers; Te Wharerahi, Rewa, and Moka 'Kainga-mataa') signed as A Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand at Waitangi on October 28, 1835. The chiefs signed this declaration of independence and in the process established themselves as representing a proto-state under the title of the "United Tribes of New Zealand". Prior to the signing of the Declaration, the chiefs had selected a flag for use on ships originating from New Zealand — the first distinctively New Zealand flag. Year 1834 (MDCCCXXXIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... James Busby James Busby (7 February 1801 - 15 July 1871) was involved in the drafting of the Treaty of Waitangi and is widely regarded as the father of the Australian wine industry, as he took the first collection of vine stock from Spain and France to Australia. ... A Resident, or in full Resident Minister, is a state official of certain representative types, required to take up permanent residency abroad officially. ... This article is about the Māori people of New Zealand. ... Waka. ... Rewa is a city in northern Madhya Pradesh state, central India. ... Waitangi is a township located in the Bay of Islands on the North Island of New Zealand. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. ... For other uses, see State (disambiguation). ... The Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, New Zealands first flag, selected in 1834 The United Tribes of New Zealand was a loose confederation of Māori tribes based in the north of the North Island. ... The Flag of New Zealand is a defaced blue ensign with the Union Flag in the canton, and four red stars with white borders to the right. ...

The document arose in response to concerns over the lawlessness of British subjects in New Zealand and to a fear that France would declare sovereignty over the islands. It also arose from a desire in Māori society to establish a form of Māori government. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to have control over an area of governance, people, or oneself. ...

The Declaration and after

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Declaration of Independence of the Northern Chiefs

The hereditary chiefs and heads of the tribes of the Northern parts of New Zealand declared the constitution of an independent state. They agreed to meet in Waitangi each year to frame laws, and invited the southern tribes of New Zealand to "lay aside their private animosities" and join them. Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ...

The signatories sent a copy of the document to King William IV of the United Kingdom (reigned 1830 - 1837), asking him to act as the protector of the new state. The King had previously acknowledged the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, and now recognised the Declaration of Independence, in a letter from Lord Glenelg (the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies) dated 1836-05-25. William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of Hanover and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 26 June 1830 until his death. ... This article is about the Scottish politician. ... The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). ... Year 1836 (MDCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Legal effect of the Declaration

Some commentators state^[1] that the claim to independence lasted only until the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) in 1840; others dispute this^{[citation needed]}. One of the few extant copies of the Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty first signed on February 6, 1840, by representatives of the British Crown, and various Māori chiefs from the northern North Island of New Zealand. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi guarantees to the chiefs their continued chieftainship, and ownership of their lands and treasures (taonga). It also specifies that Māori could sell land only to the Crown. Most New Zealanders consider the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of the nation of New Zealand/Aotearoa, with formal sovereignty vested in the British crown, but the existence of different versions of this treaty, in both Māori and English, and its brevity, leave this subject to arguments over the preferred interpretation. For other uses, see Nation (disambiguation). ...

De facto however, the federation of independent tribes became subsumed into a new political body after 1840, regardless of the legality or legitimacy of this process. The Treaty of Waitangi thus voided the "Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand" for all practical purposes; and the Treaty rather than the Declaration provides the legal foundation of claims for the redress of historical wrongs. For this reason, constitutional lawyers regard the Declaration of Independence as an historical document that no longer has legal force. The French Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen, whose principles still have constitutional value Constitutional law is the study of foundational or basic laws of nation states and other political organizations. ...

See also

• United Tribes of New Zealand
• Independence of New Zealand

The Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, New Zealands first flag, selected in 1834 The United Tribes of New Zealand was a loose confederation of Māori tribes based in the north of the North Island. ... The independence of New Zealand occurred gradually over the 20th century by a series of Royal proclamations, Imperial Conferences and Acts of the British and New Zealand Parliaments. ...

External links

• Text of the declaration
• CIA World Factbook - New Zealand
• [1] - Biography of chief Moka Te Kainga-mataa; signatory to the Declaration of Independence, Hobson's Proclamations, and a participant in the Treaty of Waitangi discussions.

References