Prof. Michael Belgrave, "There Was a Historical Treaty, and We Can Still Discover Things About It.."

Wānanga-Symposium, Waitangi, 18 November 2023 ABSTRACT Bain Atwood’s recent exploration of Ruth Ross’s work on the Treaty of Waitangi, and her influence on later interpretations by historians and the Waitangi Tribunal, implicitly accepts her argument that the treaty was ‘hastily and inexpertly drawn up, ambiguous and contradictory in content and chaotic in execution’. Perhaps more importantly, he regards the question of what happened at Waitangi in February 1840 as not only unknowable, but largely irrelevant. The important thing for Atwood, is not what happened at Waitangi, but the reinterpretations which have taken place since, reinterpretations which have invested much more meaning in the event than could ever be possible. That meaning is located far more in the gloss of later politics than on any original understanding of the event. However, if as many historians would argue, Ross got it wrong, not just by overstating the differences between the two texts, but even in concentrating on the text themselves, then simply disproving her argument is insufficient. These interpretations, particularly as they claim to represent what actually happened, need to be tested using whatever resources and skills we as historians can bring to the task. By exploring the relationships between participants and the treaty debates, identifying the intellectual, economic and religious exchanges taking placeamong these participants, this presentation will argue that we can say much more about what occurred, test the extent that an agreement may or may not have taken place, and what that agreement may have been. In this way, this paper will argue that the text of the treaty played no part at all in the debates that took place on 5 February 1840. Rangatira who participated had already prepared the arguments they were going to present to Hobson, arguments which are largely developed in a series of discussions in the period 30 January to 5 February, discussions which took place even before the treaty was drafted. As a result, the treaty emerges dynamically in the discussions ofboth European and Māori right through to its signing. BIO Michael Belgrave is a historian and foundation member of Massey University’s Albany campus. He has published widely on public policy, treaty and Māori history. His most recent book, Dancing with the King (AUP, 2017) is an exploration of diplomacy and peace-making in the decades between the Waikato War and the opening of the King Country. It was awarded the Ernest Scott award for the best book on New Zealand or Australian history in 2017, He has worked extensively on Waitangi Tribunal inquiry research and treaty settlements since the late 1980s. He was president of the New Zealand Historical Association, 2019-2021. His next book, A History of Us, a general history of New Zealand, will be available in 2024.