On the 190th anniversary of the signing of He Whakaputanga - the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand, I am sharing an extract from a 2017 publication on He Whakaputanga for which I contributed an introduction. For the full introduction see this 2018 E-Tangata piece.

It is also worth noting that today is also Te Pūtake o te Riri - He Rā Maumahara, the national day of commemoration for the New Zealand Wars. The date was deliberately selected to serve as a reminder of the rangatiratanga and authority Māori fought to defend and preserve throughout Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa, as affirmed and enshrined in He Whakaputanga.

He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni was debated, agreed upon, and ultimately signed by 34 rangatira at Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, on 28 October 1835, and later by a further 18 chiefs from the north and elsewhere, through until 22 July 1839.