Story: Te Tiriti o Waitangi – the Treaty of Waitangi

Petition to the prime minister, 1908

Petition to the prime minister, 1908

Teni Taingakawa reads a petition to Prime Minister Joseph Ward at a Kīngitanga hui at Waharoa (near Matamata) in 1908. Māori from many tribes were present and most were ‘firmly convinced that the Waitangi Treaty of 1840 has been violated’. (Evening Post, 19 March 1908, p. 4.) The petition called for the restoration of lands unjustly confiscated in the 1860s.

In reply, Ward ‘dispelled any illusions that the Maoris may have held with regard to the provisions of the Treaty of Waitangi and pointed out the futility of their putting all their faith in it.’ (Auckland Weekly News, 26 March 1908, p. 6.)

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Auckland City Libraries - Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: AWNS-19080326-6-3

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How to cite this page:

Claudia Orange, 'Te Tiriti o Waitangi – the Treaty of Waitangi - Māori responses to te tiriti – 1880 to 1900', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/36367/petition-to-the-prime-minister-1908 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Claudia Orange, published 20 Jun 2012, reviewed & revised 28 Mar 2023 with assistance from Claudia Orange