The Treaty Today

Bastion Point

In 1976 the government proposed selling part of the Bastion Point reserve for luxury housing. It was on ancestral land that Ngati Whatua hoped to get back. The tribe mounted a 506-day occupation of the site in 1978. The protest ended when the government sent in police to clear the protestors and demolish their makeshift homes. The new housing was never built and under a Treaty of Waitangi settlement much of the land was returned to Ngati Whatua.

Click on this link to watch the documentary.

The Waitangi Tribunal and the Orakei Claim

In 1840, Ngati Whatura Orakei invited the English settlers to share the land with them. The tri (hapu) agreed to hand over 3,000 acres of land for a township to be established. More settlers began to arrive - Auckland was made the capital city (previously the capital was at Russell) and more land was sold and/or given by Nati Whatua Orakei. The Crown paid 341 pounds for the orighinal 3,000 acres. Six months later it was sold to settlers for 24, 375 pounds. The money was used to build roads, bridges, hospitals and other services for the new town. Fourteen years after they had sold their initial land, 700 acres was all the land Ngati Whatua Orakei still retained. The Ngati Whatua Orakei chief made it clear that this remaing land, called the Orakei Block, was not for sale. It was to be reserved in tribal ownership forever.

Activity 1: Case Study - Picture dictation

Bastion Point Field trip

Bastion Point Assessment Inquiry - Website Creation

Here is a template for the Bastion Point website creation

Extra for experts

At the time of the signing of the treaty, there was good will from everybody...

Mike King, comedian travels from Waitangi to find those descendants of their tipuna who had signed one of the nine treaties that travelled the country. 'Lost in Translation' follows Mike King's journey.