On February 5 1840 northern Maori chiefs gathered at Waitangi. They were presented with a treaty in which British sought sovereignty in return for guaranteeing Maori certain rights.
What do you know about Waitangi Day? Take a quiz and test yourself.
If you need a bit of help, you can learn more about the Treaty of Waitangi by clicking on the links under the questions.
1) When was the Treaty of Waitangi signed?
2) Who signed?
3) When did Britain declare sovereignty?
4) Who was the Nga Puhi chief who challenged British control?
5) What was he famous for cutting down?
6) When did Waitangi Day become a national public holiday?
7) Which marae does Prime Minister Helen Clark refuse to visit on Waitangi Day?
8) Where are the original Treaty documents now kept?
For more about the history of the Treaty see
New Zealand History online and
Te Ara.
Scroll down for answers
Above: The Treaty of Waitangi was damaged by water and rats and is now kept in a secure, climate controlled room
Answers
1) February 6 1840
2) On February 6 it was signed by over 40 chiefs and William Hobson
on behalf of the Crown. The Treaty then circulated the country for
six months and was signed by around 500 Maori.
3) May 21 1840
4) Hone Heke
5) The Union Jack flagstaff at Russell in May 1845. He saw it as a
symbol of the Maori losing their land and status under the
British.
6) February 6 1974
7) Te Ti Marae at the mouth of the Waitangi River
8) At Archives New Zealand in the Constitution Room
