Why do we celebrate Waitangi Day?

Waitangi Day is a public holiday on the 6th of January, 1840.  It has been a public holiday since 1957, first officially commemorate in 1934.  For Maori, the day was for reflecting on the treaty.  It is to remember that the day that the Maori and the Pakeha signed the treaty and shared privileges.  Everyone gets a day off.

You might have wondered why they have a treaty?  At first when the early settlers came to New Zealand, they wanted to live here.  But the Maori didn’t want them to live on their land, and so an idea of a treaty came along.  The British Governor made laws that Maori can follow and be protected, while the British can come and live on their lands.

It is signed by Maori chiefs and European settlers in the Treaty house (which belongs to James Busby), in the Bay of Plenty.  William Hobson was the co-author of the treaty, with the help of his secretary James Freeman and James Busby, owner of the Treaty house.  The first chief to sign the treaty was Hone Heke, along with some 40 other chiefs before the day William Hobson planned to start signing the treaty.  Afterwards about 530 - 540 chiefs signed the treaty too.

My favourite part about Waitangi Day is I get to have a day off!