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Museum of New Zealand

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Te Tiriti o WaitangiThe Treaty of Waitangi

It is celebrated and argued over. It contains contradictions, and yet it offers clarity. It has a rocky past, but it is providing New Zealanders with new ways forward. It is the Treaty of Waitangi – this nation’s founding agreement.

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Kei te whakanuia kei te tautohetia. Ōna tika, ōna hē, heoi kei te tuku whakamārama. Hē uaua ōna wā ki muri, engari, he tohu ‘hīkoi whakamua’ mō Aotearoa. Kō te Tiriti ō Waitangi te tuhinga matua mō tēnei whenua.

Treaty of Waitangi: Signs of a Nation

Discover how the Treaty has shaped relationships between the peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.

On now

Permanent exhibition

Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

Māori and the British

Learn how relationships between Māori and the British developed and led to the signing of the Treaty in 1840.

The Treaty of Waitangi up close

Find out what the Treaty said, and see why it has caused so much debate – both in 1840 when it was signed and now.

Further reading about the Treaty of Waitangi

Find further reading about the Treaty timeline, the taonga of the Treaty Grounds, and reading resources from other publications and websites.

See the original Treaty of Waitangi

Visit the original Treaty of Waitangi at the National Library of New Zealand, explore the stories of Te Tiriti, and get to know the people who signed the document.

Treaty of Waitangi learning resources

Watch interviews, download activity books and learn more about the Treaty of Waitangi and what it means to all New Zealanders.

In partnership with