Bunbury, who was returning north after docking at Ruapuke Island in Foveaux Strait, was carrying a very small, very precious item of cargo: a copy of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi).
Bunbury and his crew had gathered signatures from Ngāi Tahu chiefs in Akaroa and the deep south, but bad weather prevented the major from presenting the Treaty at one of the South Island’s busiest settlements.
In those days, the area stretching from Waikouaiti to Taiaroa Head was densely populated and home to some of the South Island’s most important and influential chiefs.
After presenting the document, Bunbury secured two signatures: Hone Karetai’s and Kōrako’s.
That constitutional act, affirming the authority of the peoples of Ōtākou and granting kāwantanga to the Crown, sealed a political relationship that continues today.
This year, the people of Ōtākou are hosting Ngāi Tahu’s annual Waitangi Day commemoration at their marae.
It’s my pleasure to attend this year at Ōtākou, and to mark the Treaty signing in a location where it took place.
Few people realise the Treaty signing at Waitangi in Northland was only the first of many. Copies of the Treaty – mainly the Māori text – made their way down both islands to Coromandel, the Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
Most iwi, even those who didn’t sign in the 19th century, accept and adhere to the Treaty.
But for those iwi who did lend their physical signatures and marks to the document, Waitangi Day commemorations are particularly special. In the South Island, Ngāi Tahu marks the day with a community event, a feast, and even a lecture.
This year’s commemoration at Ōtākou Marae is a chance for all the communities of Otago to come together and mark this country’s constitutional founding.
That’s what makes Waitangi Day special.
It’s not just a day for Māori. Instead it’s a day for all people to reflect on what it means to live in this country – the obligations we owe each other and the obligations we owe to the land.
As a parliamentary under-secretary and co-chair of Labour’s Māori caucus – the largest in the history of the New Zealand Parliament – I’m especially proud of the progress we’ve made in the last five years.
On representation, more Māori sit in Parliament than ever before.
On employment, more Māori are in work than there were 10 years ago.
On housing, our government has funded papakāinga housing in communities such as Bluff.
On education, the University of Otago is enrolling a record number of Māori students.
This is a credit to the people involved – employers, the mana whenua of Bluff, the University of Otago, and everyone putting in the hard work to make it happen.
But it’s also a credit to our outgoing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Few prime ministers have championed Māori as she has, from introducing the Matariki public holiday to reducing child poverty (which disproportionately benefits whānau Māori).
Under the former prime minister, whānau Māori also benefitted from some of her signature policies, from the healthy school lunches programme to increases to the minimum wage.
On Waitangi Day, it’s important to stop and take stock of these advances we’ve made as a country.
Yes, there’s far more to do, but this year we’re more energised than ever to get it done.
Mauri Ora!
