New Zealand has a fascinating history about our mix of Maori and European culture.
Maori's story
Kupe was the first explorer to reach New Zealand, he used the stars and ocean currents as his navigation in the Pacific Ocean, it's said that Kupe made landfall at the Hokianga Harbour in the Northland, hundreds of years ago.
Europeans story
A Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was on a quest to find a great southern continent it was believed to be rich in minerals, while searching for this continent. Tasman spotted a large "high-lying land." Tasman sailed up the country's west coast and sailed to the top of the South Island, this was Tasman's first contact with Maori. Two wakas' full with Maori People Spotted Tasman's boat. Tasman's men went on a small boat towards the land, Tasman's men got rammed by one of the wakas', four of Tasman's men were killed. Tasman didn't reach the land, and went on to some pacific islands then went back to Batavia (now Jakarta) in the Dutch East. Tasman found no treasures or valuable items his mission to New Zealand was considered unsuccessful.
What is the Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi is an agreement made in 1840 between representatives of the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs. it's a document of central importance to the history and political constitution of the state of New Zealand.
Treaty first signed
The Treaty of Waitangi first signed on 6 February 1840, most chiefs signed a Maori-language version of the treaty. The English and Maori-language versions held different meanings, Maori and Europeans therefore had different expectations of the treaty's terms. Ever since, resolution of these differences has presented New Zealand with challenges. It resulted in the declaration of British sovereignty over New Zealand by Lieutenant Governor William Hobson in May 1840. The British government finally decided to take action on New Zealand in 1839. It appointed a naval captain, William Hobson, as consul to an independent New Zealand, and as lieutenant governor to any parts of the country that Māori would consent to becoming British. His instructions directed him to negotiate for the sovereignty of New Zealand, and to establish a British colony.
Text of the treaty
The text of the Treaty includes a preamble and three articles. It is bilingual, with the Māori text translated from the English. Article one of the English text cedes "all rights and powers of sovereignty" to the Crown. Article two establishes the continued ownership of the Māori over their lands and establishes the exclusive right of pre-emption of the Crown. Article three gives Māori people full rights and protections as British subjects. However, the English text and the Māori text differ in meaning significantly, particularly in relation to the meaning of having and ceding sovereignty. These discrepancies led to disagreements in the decades following the signing, eventually culminating in the New Zealand Wars.