Five years before the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori leaders made a declaration of their own.

On October 28, 1835, 34 northern Māori chiefs gathered at Waitangi and signed He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand. It declared the country an independent state under the United Tribes of New Zealand and asked the British Crown for protection.

Britain acknowledged the declaration, and more chiefs signed over the following years. It remains central to discussions of Māori rights and sovereignty.

How much did you know about New Zealand's early history?

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