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Story: Citizenship

Signing the Treaty of Waitangi

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Signing the Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840; this somewhat romanticised reconstruction of the event was painted by Marcus King nearly 100 years later. Māori leader Tāmati Wāka Nene is shown signing the treaty in front of British officials and witnesses. Other Māori signatories are assembled on the left.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: G-821-2

by Marcus King

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

David Green, Citizenship – 1840–1948: British subjects, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/3678/signing-the-treaty-of-waitangi (accessed 20 June 2026).

Story by David Green, published 4 March 2009.

Comments

andrew
05 February 2014
this gave me a lot of info thanks for putting it online I got a prize for having the most stuff thx