Eight Reasons Why Co-Governance Must be Stopped.

A Brief History of New Zealand.

In the 14^th century, the tangata Maori arrived in New Zealand in 7 canoes to find New Zealand already inhabited by the tangata whenua. Over the next 100 years or so, Maori legend tells how they drove the tangata whenua into the hills where they disappeared. Maori lived in peace until food became scarce and they began fighting amongst themselves for territories, escalating out of control in the early 18^th century. 

In 1820, Hongi Hika returned from England with over 500 muskets he had smuggled into New Zealand. He and his Ngapuhi followers then went on a rampage south attacking and slaughtering, thousands of unarmed men, women and children for the fun of it and the feasts that followed, only moving his followers on when the stench of rotting bodies became unbearable!  

By 1830 the Southern tribes had accumulated large numbers of muskets and were about to attack Ngapuhi for utu/revenge. Ngapuhi panicked and wrote to the King of England asking him for protection and to be their guardian, not only from the southern tribes but also from the French who the Maori feared and were showing interest in claiming New Zealand.

While Britain did not want to become involved in New Zealand, Britain did send a British Resident, James Busby to sort out the intertribal fighting. But without forces, he was soon labelled by Maori as, “A man of war without guns”. 

Busby decided to have Maori sign a Declaration of Independence giving Maori sovereignty over New Zealand to stop France from claiming New Zealand, but the ever-present intertribal tension and fighting took precedence over political co-operation as always and the Declaration was abandoned without one meeting taking place and Busby only able to entice  56 chiefs to sign it. 

It became obvious, Maori could never form a united government!

Intertribal fighting continued with many tribes, such as Taranaki and Ngaitahu being forced off their land. Some of their chiefs who had lost their land travelled to Sydney to sell the land they no longer occupied. It is estimated over two thirds on New Zealand was sold before the Treaty was signed with many of the Deeds of Sale still held in the New South Wales Supreme Court. Most of this land was returned to Maori without compensation to the buyers after the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. By 1839 half the Maori population had been slaughtered by their own hand. 

As the Maori race was rapidly declining, Britain reluctantly decided to take a more active role in saving this race of people from total extinction by their own hand. 

Britain placed New Zealand under the dependency of New South Wales by Royal Charter/Letters Patent dated the 30 July 1839, with William Hobson as Lt. Governor of New Zealand under the New South Wales Governor, Sir George Gipps.

Britain decided to write a Treaty with Maori on 6 February 1840. In Article 1 it asked. “Maori to give up their governments to the Queen”. and in return Article 3 stated. “They would become British Subjects with the same rights as the people of England”. Article 3 explained to Maori, “They would be given the same rights/protection to their lands, their settlements, and their property as all the people of New Zealand. Over 500 Maori chiefs agreed and signed the Treaty of Waitangi on behalf of their people over the next few months in 1840.

The Treaty of Waitangi was an agreement between the Maori people and Queen Victoria. It did not refer to the people of England as they were already British Subjects.

Once the Treaty was signed, it had achieved its purpose and was filed away. Britain declared sovereignty over all the Islands of New Zealand by Proclamation in the London Gazette on the 2 October 1840.

One month later, a Royal Charter/Letters Patent was issued by “Victoria by the Grace of God” under, “The Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland” on 16 November 1840. The “Constitutional Charter of New Zealand Erected the Colony of New Zealand and established a Legislative Council and Executive Council and granted certain powers and authority to the Governor”. Lt. Governor Hobson becoming Governor of New Zealand.

The Royal Charter set up New Zealand’s political, legal and justice systems under one flag and one law, irrespective of race, colour or creed on 3 May 1841.

There is no other document in our history that comes anywhere near to a Founding Document than Queen Victoria’s Royal Charter/Letters Patent dated 16 November 1840.

The Treaty of Waitangi was never intended to be New Zealand’s Founding Document.

Below are eight reasons why Maori cannot be in Co-governance with the democratically elected Government of New Zealand.   

Reason Number 1.

The Government does not have a definition of the Indigenous People of New Zealand and there is no documented or forensic evidence that they are indigenous to New Zealand; therefore, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People does not apply to them.

Reason Number 2.

Today’s Maori are not the people who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Through intermarriage of their own free will, mainly with the people they are claiming against. They are a mixed race of people legally known as New Zealand Citizens.  

Reason Number 3.

The Treaty of Waitangi made Maori British Subjects with the same rights as the people of England and a British Subject cannot be in Partnership or Co-governance with the Crown

Reason Number 4. 

Maori were given the option to claim sovereignty over New Zealand in 1835 but were unable to form a united body due to the ever-present tension and fighting between the tribes.  

Reason Number 5.

We can already see tribalism creeping into politics with the involvement of Hon Nanaia Mahuta’s family.   

Reason Number 6.

The Treaty of Waitangi dated 6 February 1840 made no mention of Maori being given special rights and privileges not enjoyed by all the people of New Zealand. They were given the same rights as the people of New Zealand under one flag and one law. No more, no less.

Reason Number 7.

Queen Victoria’s Royal Charter/Letters Patent dated 16 November 1840 was our true Founding Document and made no mention of Maori being given special rights and privileges not enjoyed by all the people of New Zealand and none were given.

Reason Number 8.

For 188 years, New Zealand has been a democratic country based on one vote, one person. Our ancestors, both Maori and Pakeha fought for this in 1840 and many times since in wars around the world, many paying the ultimate price. Why would a few part-Maori want to dishonour their ancestors by creating a Co-governance with the democratically elected New Zealand Government?  

Conclusion.

Today’s part-Maori in Parliament are very ungrateful people when the British Government saved their Maori ancestors, who knew the only way for them to survive was to ask Britain to be their guardian and protector. Britain did everything in its power to save this race of people by making them British Subjects with the same rights as the people of England without lifting a finger. I know they only represent a very small proportion of the Maori people today, who in most cases are hardworking, honest New Zealand Citizens who appreciate Britain for helping their ancestors when they were completely out of control.  

With Queen Victoria’s 1840 Royal Charter being recognised as New Zealand’s Founding Document and first Constitution and the Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous People being repealed, these ungrateful part-Maori Politicians will return to being New Zealand Citizens as their ancestors agreed to in 1840. Democracy will be returned to New Zealand and its people as agreed to at Waitangi on 6 February 1840 when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between Lt Governor Hobson and the Maori chiefs with a handshake and the words, “He iwi tahi tatou – We are now one people”.   

Ross Baker, Researcher, One New Zealand Foundation Inc.  11/12/2022.

For further information: www.onenzfoundation.co.nz  Or Email: ONZF@bigpond.com.au.