One of the main reasons Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi was because of the problems they had with the bad behaviour of Pākehā.
As early as 1831, Māori had written to King William IV asking for his help to deal with his troublesome subjects.
Many Pākehā were ignoring Māori customs and rules regarding tapu, there was the abuse of Māori women and the taking of tribal resources.
By the late 1830s, Māori society had begun to modernise.
The inter-tribal wars had largely ceased and most of the country had embraced Christianity.
As times became more peaceful, western styles of farming and industry were developing, often with the assistance of Pākehā immigrants.
By 1840, more than 2000 Britons had settled in New Zealand, but they were not always of the best character.
Kororareka (now Russell) was called the "hell-hole of the Pacific" because sometimes 30 whaling ships could be in port with all the lawlessness this could entail.
This was a large part of the background to why we have the Treaty of Waitangi.
When, in 1840, William Hobson gave his sales pitch to the chiefs outlining why they should sign the treaty, William Colenso recorded his words:
"Her Majesty Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, wishing to do good to the chiefs and people of New Zealand, and for the welfare of her subjects living among you, has sent me to this place as governor.
"But, as the law of England gives no civil powers to Her Majesty out of her dominions, her efforts to do you good will be futile unless you consent.
"Her Majesty has commanded me to explain these matters to you, that you may understand them.
"The people of Great Britain are, thank God! free; and, as long as they do not transgress the laws they can go where they please, and their sovereign has not power to restrain them.
"You have sold them lands here and encouraged them to come here.
"Her Majesty, always ready to protect her subjects, is also always ready to restrain them.
"Her Majesty the Queen asks you to sign this treaty, and to give her that power which shall enable her to restrain them."
One of the biggest selling points of the Treaty of Waitangi was that this was how the British could bring the Pākehā population under control.
This was also the message they repeated around the country.
While the Māori language version of the Treaty and the New Zealand Constitution Act of 1852 spelt out that Māori were to continue to manage our own affairs, the primary need for the Treaty was to control misbehaving Pākehā, and coming under the British government was the only way this could happen.
Anaru Eketone (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato) is an associate professor in social and community work at the University of Otago.
