New Zealand History Reading
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New Zealand History Reading
The Day the Bay Was Listening
The morning air at Waitangi was warm and still. Mere stood beside her uncle, watching visitors arrive near the meeting house. People had travelled from different places to discuss an agreement with representatives of the British Crown. A document was read aloud. It was written in English and Māori. The words mattered, because people wanted to understand what they were being asked to agree to. The versions did not express every idea in the same way, and people understood parts of the agreement differently. Mere’s uncle listened carefully. He wanted the people gathered there to protect their authority and their connection to their lands and resources. Other people hoped the agreement would bring order and fair treatment. There were many different hopes and concerns in the crowd. On the sixth day of February in 1840, some rangatira (Māori leaders) and representatives of the Crown signed the document known as Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or the Treaty of Waitangi. Not every rangatira signed that day, and signing continued elsewhere over the following months. Mere saw that the gathering was only the beginning of a much bigger story. Different understandings of the agreement would matter for generations. Today, people continue to discuss Te Tiriti, its promises, and the responsibilities it creates. Mere could not know what would happen next, but she understood that listening to one another would be important.
Read closely
Use details from the story to support your answers. For questions about ideas or opinions, more than one thoughtful answer may be possible.
- 6 February 1840
- 6 February 1841
- 6 March 1840
- 6 February 1839
- His people’s authority and connection to their lands and resources
- The visitors’ ships and supplies
- The meeting house from the weather
- A route to another island
3 printable pages
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
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