Social Studies: Why was a Treaty needed in NZ (essay)

In the 1830s, there were 100,000 Māori and 200 Europeans living in New Zealand. The behaviour of the Whalers, the Missionaries’ desire to help protect Māori rights and the Musket Wars were reasons that a treaty was needed. The Declaration of Independence was another contributing factor to the need for a treaty.

Firstly, one of the reasons why a treaty was needed was because of the Whalers. But what are ‘Whalers’ exactly? Whalers is the name given to the group of people of European settlers who came to NZ in the late 1920s. Who behave freely and lawlessly in the Bay of islands of New Zealand. Although it wasn’t just European settlers, Maori people eventually joined them and sinned with them. The following behaviour of Whalers was the key cause that entered the British crown and Māori into the treaty. Starting with the optimistic side, it was a place for them Whalers to stop by, restock and refresh. On the negative side, they spent most of their time partying, drinking and hooking up. Moreover, the fact that NZ wasn’t a civilised undeveloped country by then, only encouraged more sealers and whalers from around the world to go to NZ. It wasn’t acceptable. In fact, NZ was given the name ‘Hell hole of the Pacific.’ In contrast to that, the area is presently known as Korareka in Maori and Russell in English. With this whole thing happening, a treaty was needed at all costs. Obtaining a treaty would make things clear and have rules and boundaries around the country and lawless behaviour prevented.

Another reason that a treaty was needed was to defend Māori rights. One group that felt strongly about this was the missionaries. Missionaries came to New Zealand at the Bay of Islands in 1814. They established one primary goal in mind at first. It was to convert Māori people into Christianity. The missionaries have taught Māori modern effective ways of gardening and farming skills encouraging them to convert to Christianity. Interestingly, the first Māori people were only converted to Christianity not until 6 years later during the 1820s. However, with the arrival of European settlers or Whalers, they began to grow worried on behalf of Māori with all the number of sins being committed, lands being sold and the violation of their rights in their own country. Therefore, they decided on another goal, which was to keep the law and order among the European settlers. To achieve this, they promoted the treaty of the Waitangi to help strengthen the missions and protect their Māori converts from undesirable European influence. Overall, with the desire of Missionaries to protect Māori converts and Māori rights, a treaty was definitely needed.

Another reason that a treaty was needed was the Musket Wars. During the 1800s to late 1820s, the rivalry between Māori tribes began creating conflict. Those conflicts led to Musket Wars. Māori demanded muskets to give them a massive advantage and power. Therefore, they traded with the European settlers for potatoes in exchange for muskets. These muskets generated an impact that has led to thousands of bloodshed. It was estimated that 20,000 Maori were killed during the musket wars. Land borders also changed during this war.

Lastly, what's the final reason? The final reason that a treaty was the existence of the Declaration of Independence. On 28th of October 1885 is the date of the Declaration of Independence in New Zealand. The declaration states the sovereignty that existed in 1835 and was designed to promote and protect the rights of Maori. About 34 chiefs have approved the Declaration of Independence. It had provided a portal for the Treaty of Waitangi negotiations. It, in addition, gives them freedom because if it breaks down they would have the Crown as a backup plan as the king would gain possession if anything had gone wrong. This would boost the relationship between the Crown and Maori. This was tremendous for the treaty signing.

In conclusion, this essay has demonstrated that a treaty was needed because it improved relations between the Crown, the Maori and the Missionaries. The treaty also ended the muskets wars and improved the Declaration of Independence. It allowed them to form a government, enact laws/regulations and promote new connections with other nations.