He Whakaputanga, one of New Zealand's founding documents, celebrates its 190th anniversary on Tuesday.
The document has seen a resurgence of interest in recent years as Treaty issues come to the fore.
He Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, usually translated as the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand, was signed at Waitangi on October 28th 1835.
Signed initially by 34 leading rangatira of the north, it eventually contained the tohu (signatures) of 52 rangatira from as far afield as Waikato and Hawke's Bay.
The humble handwritten document consists of four articles asserting that mana (authority) and sovereign power in New Zealand resided fully with Māori.
Stefanie Lash, an archivist at Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, said from the beginning He Whakaputanga has been kept together with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
There is a saying among Ngāpuhi reflecting that close relationship. "Ko He Whakaputanga te mātua, ko Te Tiriti te tamaiti. He Whakaputanga is the parent, and the Treaty is the child."
"They've always been together in their life, and you can really see, when you read the text of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, it talks about the confederation of the United Tribes, Te Wakaminenga o ngā rangatira. That's referring to those rangatira who signed He Whakaputanga, so it's really closely linked to Te Tiriti," Lash said.
Archivist Stefanie Lash. Photo: RNZ / MARK PAPALII
Its fortunes have closely followed those of Te Tiriti, she said.
It narrowly escaped destruction in a fire by being thrown out of a window on to a Records Clerk, it has been nibbled by rats, and it was sent with Te Tiriti to Wairarapa for safekeeping during World War II in case Wellington was bombed.
It now lives at the National Library in Wellington inside of a purpose built exhibition He Tohu, alongside Te Tiriti and the Women's Suffrage Petition.
Lash said in recent years discussion of He Whakaputanga has come to the fore.
"For many years He Whakaputanga had been viewed as a bit of a footnote in Pākehā historiography at any rate. It was considered at best a catalyst for Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and not taken seriously by many people as an independent assertion of sovereignty of the rangatira hapū and iwi Māori who signed He Whakaputanga."
Photo: RNZ / MARK PAPALII
Lash said a number of factors have led to the reexamination of the document. These include the Matike Mai constitutional conversations led by Professor Margaret Mutu and the late Moana Jackson, there was also a Ministry of Justice-sponsored constitutional conversation happening at the same time.
But the biggest shift was in the Waitangi Tribunal's Te Paparahi o te Raki (Northland) Stage 1 inquiry, which looked deeply and closely into Māori and Crown understandings of He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti.
Lash said she was able to attend a couple of the Paparahi o te Raki hearings.
"It was really interesting to hear people read out their affidavits, give their evidence to the tribunal about how He Whakaputanga has been alive all this time in communities, in rohe, in parts of the country that just didn't have their voice until now."
The Tribunal found that the rangatira who signed Te Tiriti did not cede their sovereignty.
"As Aotearoa looks to possibly evolve its constitutional arrangements in the future, the questions about He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti will come up in the conversation. That's pretty exciting. It's exciting to see how a document that's nearly 200 years old can assume a place in our modern conversations and looking towards the future in ways that maybe the rangatira who created and signed it might not have envisaged, or maybe they did," Lash said.
He Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni Photo: RNZ / MARK PAPALII
Lash said recently there has been a surge in interest in He Whakaputanga especially from children and rangatahi.
"He Whakaputanga is really special, and there's something about it that really captures people's imaginations, especially if they've got the opportunity to learn something about our history that maybe they didn't know before. A lot of people, when we're talking to them, they say, 'why didn't I learn about this? Does everyone know about this? Is it just me?' It's a real joy to see people meeting that tāonga face-to-face."
The purpose built exhibition room at the National Library in Wellington, containing He Whakaputanga, the Treaty of Waitangi and the Women's Suffrage Petition Photo: RNZ / MARK PAPALII
Archives New Zealand recently completed its brand new archives building beside the National Library in Wellington, but Lash said He Whakaputanga will remain in the purpose built He Tohu exhibition for now.
"This whare He Whakapapa Kōrero was built to look after He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti and the Women's Suffrage Petition for 25 years. We're about eight years in, so if you're planning to visit, better get in quick. We've only got about another 17 years to go."
In recent years, some members of Ngāpuhi have called for the return of He Whakaputanga to the place were it was signed.
Lash said Archives NZ has entered into conversations with Ngāpuhi to hear their wishes for the future of both He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti.
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