Waitangi Day 2008 was a day of celebrating New Zealand’s rich and diverse people, cultures and history.

A dawn karakia at the Treaty grounds in Waitangi kicked off a fun packed day of celebrations for hundreds of thousands across the country.

It is 168 years since the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 between representatives of the British Crown and more than 500 Māori chiefs.

To commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi the first official Waitangi Day celebrations were established in 1934 and it has been a public holiday since 1974.

For some, Waitangi Day is just another day off; for others it is about celebrating New Zealand’s identity and the founding document of this country, the Treaty of Waitangi.

In 2008 there was a distinct air of festivity to Waitangi Day celebrations across the country, as many attending the varied public celebrations acknowledged the pact forged between the Crown and Māori.

Concerts showcasing New Zealand’s diverse cultures, musicians and entertainers featured along with kai, stalls, arts and crafts and more.

Kōkiri has captured images of Waitangi Day celebrations nationwide – from Waitangi to Wellington, Rotorua to New Plymouth and Auckland to Christchurch.

1831
Growing lawlessness among Europeans in New Zealand and fears of a French annexation of the country leads 13 northern chiefs to ask King William IV for his protection.

1833
To protect Māori, the growing number of British settlers and its own trade interest, the British government appoints James Busby as its official British Resident.

1837
The British government decides to intervene in New Zealand to ensure that colonisation is regulated and that land transactions that defrauded Māori are stopped.

1839
The British government appoints William Hobson as consul. Hobson is instructed to obtain sovereignty over all or part of New Zealand with the consent of a sufficient number of chiefs.

1840
The Treaty of Waitangi is signed on 6 February 1840. The previous day a draft of the Treaty in English and Māori was discussed before 500 Māori and 200 Pākehā. Many Māori are suspicious of what was intended, but Tamati Waka Nene is thought to have swayed the chiefs towards acceptance. The meeting is reassembled on 6 February; the text is read again, and signing commences. About 40 chiefs sign on the first day; by September 1840 another 500 chiefs in different parts of the country had signed. Almost all of the chiefs signed copies of the Māori text of the Treaty.

1842
Land claims commissioners investigate all land purchases made before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

1843
Europeans and Māori clash in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough – 28 people lose their lives.

1844
Hone Heke attacks the Union Jack flagstaff at Kororareka (now Russell) in the Bay of Islands. Heke eventually sacks Kororareka.

1845
British troops and their Māori allies fight with Māori led by Hone Heke. There are three major engagements after which Governor George Grey claims victory and Māori submission.

1846
The British government instructs that all Māori land ownership is to be registered; any lands deemed to be unused or surplus become Crown land.

1860
The first conflict in the New Zealand Wars begins in Taranaki. A ceasefire ends the conflict in 1861, but warfare between Māori tribes and British forces takes place elsewhere between 1863 and the early 1870s.

1862
The Native Land Act 1862 sets up the Native Land Court to adjudicate on competing customary claims to land. It creates a court of Māori chiefs that is chaired by a Pākehā magistrate.

1877
Chief Justice James Prendergast describes the Treaty of Waitangi as “worthless” and a legal nullity”. The Privy Council overturns many of Prendergast’s conclusions by the beginning of the 20th century.

1879
Major meetings on the Treaty held at Kohimarama (1879), and Te Tii (1881) and other places, bring the Treaty of Waitangi back into prominence.

1882
The first of several Māori deputations goes to England to seek redress from the Crown. On each occasion they get referred back to the New Zealand government.

1926
A royal commission begins an inquiry into the land confiscations of the 1860s. It finds some confiscations to have been excessive and recommends compensation.

1932
Governor-General Lord Bledisloe gifts to the nation James Busby’s former house at Waitangi. Busby’s home became known as the Treaty House.

1934
Waitangi Day is formally celebrated for the first time.

1974
Waitangi Day, which had been a holiday for Auckland and Northland only, becomes a national holiday, and Queen Elizabeth II attends her first Waitangi Day ceremony.

1975
The Treaty of Waitangi Act establishes the Waitangi Tribunal as an ongoing commission of inquiry to hear grievances against the Crown concerning breaches of the Treaty.

1985
The Waitangi Tribunal is empowered to investigate Treaty claims dating back to 1840. The Tribunal also gains the ability to commission research and appoint legal counsel for claimants.

1986
The State-Owned Enterprises Act incorporates a reference to the Treaty of Waitangi. Since then, more than 40 statutes have referred to the principles of the Treaty in relation to the purpose of the legislation.

1988
The Crown permits direct negotiations and the Treaty of Waitangi Policy Unit is formed within the Department of Justice.

1992
The first major Treaty settlement with Māori claimants is reached with a settlement on commercial fisheries. The Tainui settlement follows in 1995.

1997
The Ngāi Tahu settlement is reached.

2008
Waitangi Day 2008 was a celebration of the rich diversity of New Zealand’s people, cultures and history.