At the Centennial of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1940 the speech of one of the most respected and prominent Maori individuals in NZ history, Sir Apirana Ngata, confirmed three things.
- Maori activists back then were playing the exact same broken record that they are still playing today.
At the 4.10 minute mark of the recording of his speech Sir Apirana moved onto a more serious subject matter, leaving the audience in no doubt that Maori were not necessarily in the mood for celebrating. He said they had approached the centennial year with many misgivings and listing their grievances and with “lands lost, powers of chiefs humbled, Maori culture scattered and broken”.
2. Maori did indeed cede both their “mana” and “sovereignty” to the Queen of England.
At the 5.40 minute recorded mark of the recording of his speech Sir Apirana Ngata said:
“What is there in the treaty that the Maori can, today celebrate whole
heartedly with you. Let me say one thing, throughout the treaty,
Maori handed over the mana and sovereignty of New Zealand to Queen Victoria and her descendants forever. That is the outstanding fact today, but for the seal of the sovereignty handed over to her Majesty and her descendants, I doubt whether there would be a free Maori race in New Zealand today.”
3. Maori as a “native race” (not an indigenous race) were treated well and were not oppressed by the Europeans/Pakeha.
At the 7.16 minute recorded mark of Sir Apirana Ngata’s speech he said
“Let me acknowledge first that, in the whole of the world I doubt
whether any native race has been so well treated by a European people as the Maori”
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