Claudia Orange: A clear voice on the Treaty

Claudia Orange's new book, An Illustrated History of the Treaty of Waitangi, could become the most important publication this year, judging by the thirst for reliable, impartial information about the Treaty of Waitangi.

Published on November 1 2004, An Illustrated History of the Treaty of Waitangi brings the Treaty of Waitangi right into the twenty-first century. Following on from Claudia Orange's original bestseller, this book outlines the contemporary debate around the Treaty with elegance and simplicity, incorporating 200 excellent photographs.

'Rarely has a book captured so vividly the spirit of history in the making – from the first encounters of Maori and European, to Pakeha responses to Don Brash's Orewa speech, and the strength of Maori feeling evident in the 2004 hikoi marching on Parliament,' said publisher Bridget Williams.

Sound research is the foundation of Claudia Orange's work; she is an acknowledged international authority on this major national issue. Here she offers a crisp and accessible account of the Treaty from 1769 to 2004. The impact of this book will be felt through 2005 and beyond

'I believe there is something for everyone in An Illustrated History of the Treaty of Waitangi. Our country has a rich history of interaction between Maori and Pakeha. Until we understand the historical basis of the Treaty, we won't understand why such debate continues today. I believe many Pakeha think that once the Waitangi Tribunal has processed iwi claims, the Treaty will "go away". It is not going to. More and more people are coming to understand the relevance of the Treaty to every aspect of our society. The Treaty is something that our ancestors, ourselves, and our children and grandchildren can be proud of, and I hope all of us can join in the debate and help shape our future together.' Claudia Orange, October 2004.

Claudia Orange's earlier book, The Treaty of Waitangi (1987), was the first comprehensive study to deal with the place of the Treaty in New Zealand history. It won the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book of the Year Award and has gone on to sell over 30,000 copies.

'We had no idea that Claudia's first book would have the impact that it did on the people of New Zealand. This was a piece of writing that altered the way we saw things. I think her new book will do that too.

'Almost twenty years on, the context has changed, but complexities remain, new issues have emerged, and different perspectives are still strongly held. We believe quality information is still the key to productive debate, and we are proud to be able to contribute with this new book,' says Bridget Williams.

An Illustrated History of the Treaty of Waitangi was launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at Archives New Zealand/Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga, Wellington. Speakers: the Attorney-General, the Hon. Margaret Wilson; the Chief Judge of the Maori Land Court, Judge Joe Williams.

Claudia Orange

Claudia Orange is a renowned historian. Her work on The Treaty of Waitangi has transformed our national understanding of the importance of the Treaty.

For over three decades Claudia Orange has written widely on Treaty issues, early New Zealand history and twentieth-century race relations. Her 1987 book The Treaty of Waitangi became the definitive book on The Treaty and is used widely in schools and tertiary institutions. It won the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book of the Year Award in 1988 and has gone on to sell over 30,000 copies.

The Director History and Pacific Cultures at Te Papa since November 2003, Claudia Orange was for many years the General Editor of The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography , and more recently Regional Editor of the online Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Dr Orange taught history at the University of Auckland from 1975 to 1983 and received the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997.

In 1990 she received a New Zealand Medal and an OBE in 1993.

Such an impressive career and body of work is made more notable by the fact that she was 30 when she enrolled in her first University course. Prior to this Claudia had trained and practised as a dental nurse.

Claudia’s father, Monty Bell was a significant influence on Claudia’s future career path. A fluent speaker of Maori, he was recruited into the Department of Maori Affairs in Gisborne by Apirana Ngata. Maori issues were a frequent topic of discussion at their Ponsonby, Auckland home.

'My strongest recollection and one which probably contributed greatly to what I do now was going with my father and watching the Auckland City Council clear and torch the village at Okahu Bay. Dad just broke down when he saw what was happening, I was a youngster at the time and to me it was just brutal,' says Claudia.

Claudia is married to Rod Orange and has three adult children.

For an interview opportunity with Claudia Orange, or for more information on An Illustrated History of the Treaty of Waitangi, please contact: info@bwb.co.nz.

Chapter 1: New Zealand to 1840 – an Independent Land

The history of the Treaty begins with first contact, in 1769; it picks up speed in the early nineteenth cenury with the musket wars, the vigorous (and sometimes rapacious) trade in whales and seals, timber and flax. Missionaries and settlement seem (to the British and to some Maori) to make annexation inevitable. Officials Busby and Hobson, with missionaries such as Henry Williams, plan and negotiate the Treaty.

Chapter 2: The Treaty of Waitangi

'At about 9am Hobson steeped ashore on Waitangi beach...' So begins the meeting at Waitangi on 5 February 1840. Present were leading Maori chiefs – Waka Nene, Kawiti, Hone Heke, Patuone, and many others. The words of the speakers in this historical debate are present in this chapter; the reader could almost be seated on the Waitangi promontory, listening to the flow of English and Maori from the powerful men (and a few women) gathered there that day. The next day – 6 February – the Treaty was signed. Later the Treaty was taken around the country (as far south as Stewart Island) by officials and missionaries: some Maori leaders signed, but not all did.

Chapter 3: A Matter of Mana

The debate about the differences between kawanatanga and government, rangatiratanga and sovereignty, began immediately. Maori had good reason to fear that their freedom had been curtailed. Hobson excluded Maori leaders from government decision-making; settlers wanted land, and Maori began to lose this too. Maori resistance took many forms: most organised was the King movement, initiated in the 1850s with Te Wherowhero of Waikato as the first Maori king. The Kohimarama conference in 1860 also protested vigorously against the nature of the government now offered Maori, and against land sales. By the 1860s, debate, protest and negotiation gave way to war, after the Waitara purchase of 1859.

Chapter 4: Colonial Power and Maori Rights 1870–1900

By the time the wars ended, around 1870, Maori had lost vast acres of their land – by confiscation or sale (sometimes legal and sometimes not). Government land purchase became one of the major means by which Maori land was acquired. The Native Land Court was set up to investigate land sales, but became an instrument of land loss. Throught the late nineteenth century Maori struggled to retain, or to regain, what they had lost – rights to fisheries and other resources (guaranteed under the Treaty), land taken by the Crown or illegally 'purchased'. Their very livelihood and well-being seemd – and was – under threat. Maori leaders petitioned the British Queen; the Kotahitanga movement sought unity amongst the tribes in order to challenge the new order; some Maori leaders began to enter the Pakeha political system, seeking change from within.

Chapter 5: Into the Twentieth Century 1900–1975

For Maori in the new century, the Treaty remained a central focus in their struggle to gain rights from the government. Sometimes, there were shifts. For a time Maori regained some control of their affairs through the Native Councils Act; Ngata, Buck and Pomare were powerful figures on the political scene, making changes that improved the Maori situation – such as Ngata's land schemes. Both world wars became the focal points for Maori participation in New Zealand society: in the first, Princess Te Puea withheld support, resisting conscription; in the second, the Maori battalion became heroes. In both, Maori died in disproportionate numbers, returning soldiers came back to the marginal communities of Maori mid-century New Zealand. These pressures led to the more vigorous protests of the 1960s and 1970s.

Chapter 6: New Life to the Treaty

In 1975 the Waitangi Tribunal was established to address current breaches of the Treaty by the Crown. Its brief was extended in 1985 to include breaches since 1840 – a move that opened the door to floods of claims. The research into and the presenetation of these claims will continue for years to come. But even when the Tribunal recommends redress, there is no certainty that the government will act. From 1984 a Labour government pursues policies of economic rationalisation, at the same time as making a firm commitment to solve Maori grievances. The conflict that resulted gave rise to a more radical Maori assertion of rights, including rights to fisheries.

Chapter 7: The Roller-coaster Years 1987–1990

In the 1980s Tribunal hearings and reports challenged the public to re-think the country's history. They also caused Labour to re-think its Treaty policies and to produce a set of "principles" which redefined the Treaty by the end of the decade. Government made it clear that sovereignty was not negotiable. Maori argued that sovereignty had not been ceded. By the end of the 1980s the Labour government's socio-economic reforms were affecting Maori in various ways. Differences were set aside on Waitangi Day 1990 – 150 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi – but problems would soon re-emerge.

Chapter 8: The Nineties

In the 1990s there have been major settlements (and apologies), to Tainui and Ngai Tahu; others have followed and more are in preparation. Public attitudes have changed radically – many people accepting validity of Maori claims that the Treaty has not been honoured; others resisting the notions of 'grievance' and 'settlement'. Both Labour and National governments have, however, continued to negotiate with Maori over the appropriate process for the settlement of claims; both major parties appear committed to settlement. The Tribunal's work and settlements of outstanding claims point the way ahead. The Labour government continued to push through legislative changes as its second term drew to an end.

Chapter 9: Into the Twenty-first Century

This short chapter summarises the place of the Treaty in contemporary New Zealand. It looks back over the Treaty's history, and reviews the massive changes of the last thirty years. A quick snapshot of 2004 captures the Pakeha responses to Don Brash's Orewa speech, summarises the foreshore debate, and assesses the Maori response evident in the hikoi to Parliament. Claudia Orange succinctly analyses 'the Treaty today' in her conclusion.