At 4 pm on 4 February, William Hobson took a draft of the treaty to the missionary, Henry Williams. He asked him to produce a Māori-language version and bring it the next morning to Busby’s residence, where it would be read to the assembled chiefs at 10 am. The translation, however, was a particular challenge, and the words used led to the different understandings and controversies surrounding te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi.

Williams was assisted by his 21-year-old son Edward. They worked through the night, and at nine o’clock on the morning of 5 February, Hobson arrived at Busby’s residence to examine the translation. Only one change was made to te Tiriti as a result of the discussion of Williams’s translation. Busby suggested replacing the word “huihuinga” with “whakaminenga” to more accurately describe the confederation of chiefs who had signed the 1835 Declaration of Independence (www.flickr.com/photos/archivesnz/10430000633), and this Williams agreed to.

However the English Treaty and te Tiriti o Waitangi are, in some places, significantly different in meaning. One major difference is in the two texts of Article 1, which describe what was being given up by Māori: "all the rights and powers of sovereignty" in the English text or "te kawanatanga katoa" in the Māori text. Some historians have suggested that "te tino rangatiratanga" or "mana" were better approximations of sovereignty than "kawanatanga".

Another difference is in the two texts of Article 2, which describe what the Crown’s guarantee to Māori was in respect to their property. It has been argued that "full, exclusive and undisturbed possession" is not an accurate translation of "te tino rangatiratanga" in the Māori text.

It is widely accepted that the use of the words "kawanatanga" and "tino rangatiratanga” contributed to misunderstanding by the chiefs as to how much authority they would retain relative to that of the governor. It is likely the chiefs who signed expected to either retain power, with Hobson having control over Pākehā; or enter into some kind of partnership and power sharing arrangement.

This image is a bronze plaque of the signing of te Tiriti o Waitangi on 6 February 1840, from part of the statue of Queen Victoria (Wellington). Henry Williams is standing behind Hobson, shaking the hand of a rangatira.

Archives Reference: AAQT 6539 W3537 Box 39/ A4127 archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21011307

This record is part of #Waitangi175, celebrating 175 years since the signing of of te Tiriti o Waitangi. You can see other real time tweets on Twitter (twitter.com/ArchivesNZ), or check out the Waitangi 175 album here on Flickr.

Material supplied by Archives New Zealand