Waitangi Day: Teagan

Why do we Celebrate Waitangi Day?

Do you ever wonder why we celebrate Waitangi day? We celebrate Waitangi because it was when the treaty was signed. The treaty was signed between the Maori chiefs and the English. Signing the treaty meant that the Maori and the English would have the same rules and laws.

On Waitangi day, 6th of February we have a public holiday. That means that everybody gets the day off. The treaty was signed on the 6th of February 1840 outside the treaty house, or James Busby’s house. Many Maori chiefs and many English men came to sign the treaty. William Hobson and James Busby came to sign the treaty on behalf the crown.

Do you know why they made a treaty?

Europeans wanted to come live here but the Maoris had no laws or rules, so William Hobson made a treaty on behalf of the crown. The Maori chiefs and Pakeha men signed the treaty because the Europeans wanted the Maoris to have the same rules and laws. William Hobson and James Busby came here to sign behalf of the crown.

In New Zealand Waitangi day is celebrated by having a public holiday. It is a time for people to go to the beach or go to the pools or relax.

Therefore New Zealand is now apart of the British Empire. Our country is now full of different cultures like Polynesians, Europeans or Maori’s. I think  signing the treaty was good because it allowed a range of new cultures into New Zealand.