Source trail · Document year 1840
Three records from the English and Māori texts, grouped under the treaty’s 1840 document date. The two language versions are kept separate, and their equivalence is not assumed.
The inspected English text of the Treaty of Waitangi, Article the First, says that the chiefs cede to the Queen of England all rights and powers of sovereignty over their respective territories.
What this does and does not establish: A claim about the English text only, not a conclusion about the Māori text, historical consent, legal interpretation, or implementation.
Source checked 2026-11-04 · Read the source
The inspected Māori text, Ko te Tuatahi, uses the expression “te Kawanatanga katoa o o ratou wenua” in describing what the chiefs give to the Queen of England.
What this does and does not establish: The original term Kawanatanga is retained. The working translation does not establish equivalence with sovereignty in the separate English text, nor settle historical understanding or legal interpretation.
Source checked 2026-11-04 · Read the source
Article the Second of the inspected English treaty text guarantees full, exclusive and undisturbed possession of the listed lands and properties while their holders wish to retain them; the chiefs yield to the Queen an exclusive right of preemption over lands the proprietors are willing to alienate at agreed prices.
What this does and does not establish: The possession guarantee and the proviso concerning the exclusive right of preemption must be read together. The term preemption is retained as written, without settling its legal interpretation. This is the English documentary wording, not proof of compliance, consent, or equivalence to the separate Māori text.
Source checked 2026-11-04 · Read the source