There is no doubt that the Treaty of Waitangi is one of the most important documents in New Zealand’s history. There have been continuous debates through the years about how it was written the meaning of particular Maori or English words in the texts.
It has kept its significant place despite vigorous attempts to reject or ignore it and despite being declared in 1877 as a ‘simple nullity’ by the then Chief Justice James Prendergast. He maintained Maori were 'primitive barbarians' who were 'incapable of performing the duties, and therefore of assuming the rights, of a civilised community'. It was not until 1987 that the State-Owned Enterprises Act required the Crown to take into account the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – thus returning the Treaty back into the Courts.
The Treaty has been the focus of public demonstrations on successive Waitangi Days demanding that it be recognised as the fundamental document for relationships between Maori and Pakeha. In recent years it has become subject of staff workshops within most government departments and its text is widely displayed in schools, churches and community buildings. For nearly seventy years it has been a document of identity for both the Indigenous Maori and “Tauiwi” (those who came later to New Zealand).
Yet the vast majority of New Zealanders over the age of 50 have never even read it let alone understood its place in our history.
It is a particularly significant document for the churches as it was the missionaries during the signing of the Treaty who provided the interpretation and translation and it was the reassurances of missionaries which finally convinced some of the Maori chiefs to sign, despite their misgivings.
In recent years the major churches have taken deliberate steps to identify with the Treaty and include it in their statements of partnership and ways of working.
An extract from the Catholic Bishops’ Statement “The Treaty of Waitangi in Today’s Perspective” (September 1st 1995)
“All New Zealanders who know something of the history of the last 155 years admit that justice has not been done and that the partnership, signified by the two languages at Waitangi, has not been honoured. Confiscated or appropriated land continues to be a cause of conflict in parts of the country; tino rangatiratanga has not been recognised; frustration at the lack of progress has deepened…..
"…The Church was present in 1840, and is still present in 1995. Through its social teachings, the Church seeks to ensure that the dignity of persons, and the common good of all, are reflected within the economic, social and political structures of society. Where there exist situations of conflict the Church seeks that social and economic life be directed toward just and peaceful solutions.
"On the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the Catholic Bishops of Aotearoa reaffirmed the Church's commitment to promote bicultural relationships in our multicultural society.”
The Methodist Church
The Methodist Conference of 1983 resolved to work towards becoming a bicultural church based on the Treaty of Waitangi as “the nation’s founding document”. The Church was mindful of the role played in the signing of the Treaty at the Wesleyan Mission Station at Mangungu in the Hokianga on 12th February 1840.
In 1989 the Church adopted a mission statement the preamble of which cited the Treaty as “the covenant establishing our nation on the basis of a power-sharing partnership and will guide us how we undertake mission”.
They later changed the decision-making processes within the church to ensure that Te Taha Maori and Tauiwi agreed on all issues and both need to agree on appointments of the President and Vice-President and all other senior appointments in the church’s structure. The Council of Elders now consists of two Maori and two Tauiwi.
The Presbyterian Church
The Presbyterian Book of Order (2008) acknowledges “ a bicultural commitment and rejoices in its multicultural character” and declares that it is “within the context of the Treaty of Waitangi that the Chuch recognises a bicultural partnership between Te Aka Puaho and its other church courts. These biculural partners work together within the mission of God”.
The Anglican Church in New Zealand
The church is now formally known as “the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia". Its decision-making structure is now in three tikanga, or cultural streams, encompassing Maori-Aotearoa, Pakeha-New Zealand and Pasefika-Polynesia. The structure gives each of the three partners the freedom to form their own decision-making structures and govern themselves in a culturally appropriate way.
In 1984 the Church’s General Synod had established a Bicultural Commission to study the Treaty of Waitangi and consider whether “any principles of partnership and bicultural development are implied and the nature of any such principles that may serve as indicators to future growth and development”...”
In 1988 the Church resolved to revise the Constitution and on the 7th May 1992 the three tikanga structure was adopted. In practice the three meet separately but when they meet together, either in General Synod or some other body of the whole church, any resolution needs the affirmation of each of the tikanga – although one tikanga might excuse itself from joining that consensus if it wishes. If any matter is an important principle for one of the tikanga, and it cannot agree with the other two, there is then an obligation to hold further discussions.