What is a Christian view of the Treaty of Waitangi?

Social Justice

Written by Samuel Carpenter Wednesday, 07 April 2010 14:51

What is a Christian view of Te Tiriti o Waitangi?/ The Treaty of Waitangi?

He aha nga whakaaro a nga karaitiana mo Te Tiriti o Waitangi/ Treaty of Waitangi?

The Treaty is a sacred covenant between the Maori peoples/iwi and the British peoples (Pakeha).	He kawenata tapu Te Tiriti mo nga iwi e rua, te Maori me te Pakeha.
For many hundreds of years Maori had been the spiritual guardians and stewards of Aotearoa. As Christians we believe this was no accident. We believe that God, who is Creator and Sovereign, orders the times and seasons of the nations – He ordained that Maori found Aotearoa New Zealand and became its stewards.	He maha nga mano rau tau e tiaki ana nga Mäori I te tinana o te wairua o Aotearoa. A he Karaitiana hoki tatou e marama kau ana he taonga tuku iho tenei ehara i te aitua. A, kai te u te whakapono ki waenganui I a taotu ko te Atua te kaihanga me te upoko o te kahui Ariki Tapairu, a nona ano hoki mana whakaara i te wa, i te maramataka ma nga iwi katoa – a koia ano hoki te kai waahi i te huarahi o te iwi Mäori i u mai nei hei kaitiaki mo tenei whenua mo Aotearoa.
The Treaty acknowledges and honours this stewardship. Through the Treaty the Maori peoples invited the British peoples into the land. It gave the British peoples their turangawaewae in New Zealand – their ‘place to stand’.	Kai te tautoko a Te Tiriti me atawhai te taonga tuku iho Kaitiaki-tanga. Otira na Te Tiriti ano ka tuwhera te tatau mai a nga Maori I ana powhiri i nga iwi o Inarangi ki te whakakapi I toona mana ki runga I toona ‘turangawaewae’ ko Aotearoa.
Through the Treaty the Maori also invited the Christian laws and government of the British. And the British Queen extended to Maori the protection of her government and guaranteed to them their lands and possessions.	Ko te Tiriti ano hoki te pu whakaaetanga atu a te Maori ki nga ture a nga Karaitiana me nga ture o Ingarangi. A, ka tukuna nei e te Kuini o Ingarangi te mana o tona kawanatanga hei atawahi atu I te iwi Maori, me tana tatoko atu ano I te mana motuhake me te tino rangatiratanga o nga Mäori ki runga oona whenua me ana taonga katoa.
As Christians we acknowledge that the Queen’s government did not always honour the Treaty. These wrongs must be righted. We also acknowledge that Christian missionaries were involved in the Treaty. We believe they supported it as a good thing for Maori. We believe they honourably translated it. They also faithfully argued in support of Maori when the Treaty was under attack from the government and settlers.	He Karaitiana tatou e tino mohio ana I etahi wa kaore I whakamanatia e te Kawana a te Kuini Te Tiriti. Ko toona tikanga me whakatika enei nawe. Kai te mohio ano hoki tatou I tatokotia atu te Te Tiriti e nga mihinare. A I tautokotia atu e ratou I runga I te pono ka puta he hua ma nga maori. Otira, I te wa I whakamaori-tia ai e ratou e pono marika ana ratou ki te kaupapa. Otira, I te wa e hahani-tia ana e nga kawana te Tiriti e pakari ana ta ratou tu ki te taha o nga Mäori.
As Christians we would plead with Maori not to see the missionaries and the Church as the same thing as the government. We would especially plead for Maori to understand that the God of the missionaries would never approve the dishonoring of the Treaty. And He would never approve the taking of land without just cause.	Otira he karaitiana tatou e inoi ai ki nga Mäori kia kaua ratou e titiro kotaha ki nga mihinare me te haahi he orite ki te kawana. Apiti atu ki tenei ka aata inoi atu ano tatou kia tahuri mai ano nga maori ki pono o nga mihinare ki te ahua tuturu o to tatou Atua e kore ano hoki ia e whakaae kia takahia te mana o te Tiriti. E kore ano hoki ia e whakaae ki te whenua whanako ina koa me eke ki tetahi kaupapa pono.
We acknowledge these things and make these pleas because we want healing and reconciliation to be fostered among Maori and Pakeha. Even more so we want to see reconciliation come between Maori and Io - the Supreme God, and his son Ihu Karaiti – Jesus Christ.	Kai te mohio tatou ki enei ahuatanga me te hiahia kia whaiwhakaarotia natemea kia eke ai rongo ki Waenganui I te iwi Mäori me te iwi Pakeha. Otira ko te tino wawata kia u ai te rongomau ki waenganui I te Mäori me Io me taana tama me Ihu Karaiti.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 1:3)	Kia tau ki a koutou te aroha noa me te rangimarie, he mea na te Atua, na to tatou Matua, na te Ariki hoki, na Ihu Karaiti. (1Koriniti 1:3)
Written by Samuel Carpenter	Translated into Maori by Matt Hakiaha and Rangi Tunoa Black