New Zealand: The Long White Cloud - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 303

The British Parliament was reluctant to take on the burdens of formal colonization, but
in 1833 James Busby, the first representative of the Crown, was appointed, succeeded in
1840 by Lieutenant Governor William Hobson. Hobson drew up the Waitangi Treaty, de-
signed to settle forever questions of land ownership in New Zealand. Eventually signed by
500 chiefs, the treaty was printed in two versions, English and Maori. And the devil was in
that detail.
The Maoris believed that in accepting British sovereignty, they had given Queen Vict-
oria's government control but not ownership of their land. The English version of the treaty
is more opaque. It reads, “The chiefs yield to Her Majesty the exclusive right of Preemp-
tion over such lands as the proprietors thereof may be disposed to alienate at such prices
as may be agreed upon” by the proprietors and Her Majesty's agents. [270] In the end, the
English presumed that they were given the right to buy Maori land, while Maoris asserted
that land was a tribal possession and that no chief had the right to sell it. A series of wars
followed, not to end until the 1870s. And even today, the treaty is resented and contested
by many Maoris. [271]
WHO LIVES IN NEW ZEALAND TODAY?
About 80 percent of New Zealand's population today is European-descended. Maoris make
up 10 percent; Pacific Islanders, not quite 4 percent; Asians and others, 7.4 percent. In re-
cent decades, Maoris have moved from the countryside to the cities. Today Auckland is
their unofficial capital. More than 70,000 Aucklanders have Maori ancestors; their number
is augmented by an almost equal number of Polynesians from other Pacific islands. The
Cook Islands are an independent nation with historical ties to New Zealand; it is a predom-
inantly Maori nation.
In the past half-century, Maoris have organized politically, demanding redress for the
“injustices” of Waitangi. In 1975 the government established a Waitangi Tribunal. The
tribunal and later commissions are empowered to adjudicate and redress Maori land claims,
fishing rights, and loss of tribal authority. Both Maori and English are New Zealand's offi-
cial languages (as well as sign language). [272]
WHAT IS THE NEW ZEALAND “OUTLOOK”?
Like most other nations, New Zealanders reflect on the experiences that have shaped their
habits of the heart. High on the list is the contrast in geography and history with Australia:
a temperate climate, a fertile countryside, and poor to middle-class settlers—no convicts
here! New Zealanders tend to see themselves in speech and manners as transplanted Eng-
lish. Loyalty to the Motherland carried New Zealand soldiers into both World Wars. Their
losses (along with Australia's) at Gallipoli are mourned every year on Anzac Day, April 25.