Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Provides insight into the historical and contemporary significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Emphasises its role in guiding ethical practice, equity, and partnership in psychology and across society. Supports the integration of Tiriti principles—partnership, protection, and participation—into professional and institutional frameworks.

Literature - Articles & Books

Claudia Orange, 2021

Te Tiriti o Waitangi - An Illustrated History.

The Treaty of Waitangi | Te Tiriti o Waitangi brings the Treaty's history to life with a richly informative narrative and a wonderful range of photographs, maps and illustrations., It takes the narrative into the twenty-first century, with a new chapter recounting the Treaty history o the last ten years, covering major developments such as the Tuhoe settlement, territory 'personhood', and issues around intellectual property and language.

Burns, C., Hetaraka, M., & Jones, A. (2024).

Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi, principles and other representations. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies 59(1), pages 15-29

Draws attention to shifting educational discourses on the two texts of the 1840 treaty: te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi. Policy and resource conversations in education reveal subtle strategic shifts in use of an invented idea of “treaty principles”—from standing in for and attempting to reconcile the two language texts, to a focus on the specific language of te Tiriti o Waitangi with reference to so-called principles to support contemporary application.

O’Sullivan, D., Came, H., McCreanor, T., & Kidd, J. (2021)

A critical review of the Cabinet Circular on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi advice to ministers. Ethnicities, 21(6), pages 1093-1112

Analyses the 2019 Cabinet Circular on Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi. It argues that while the Circular is a step towards greater consideration of the Treaty in policy advice, it still privileges the English version of the Treaty (Treaty of Waitangi) over the Māori version (Te Tiriti o Waitangi), failing to fully address issues of Māori sovereignty and self-determination. The article proposes a methodology called Critical Tiriti Analysis (CTA) to better assess policy alignment with Te Tiriti. 

Pitama, S., Haitana, T., Patu, M., Robson, B., Harris, R., McKerchar, C., ... & Crengle, S. (2024)

Toitū Te Tiriti. The New Zealand Medical Journal (Online), 137(1589), pages 7-11

This editorial discusses the importance of upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the context of healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand. It emphasises the need for a commitment to equity, partnership, and protection to ensure that Māori health outcomes are improved and that Māori voices are central in health policy and practice

Videos

Kiri Prentice (2024)

Pre-colonical Māori Society & Te Tiriti o Waitangi - Māori Minds

Learn about te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi by first learning about pre-colonial Māori,

Kara Rickard (2025)

Episode 1: An Overview - Treaty Talks, RNZ

Dive into Te Tiriti o Waitangi—Aotearoa’s founding document—and how it’s shaped Aotearoa. Kara Rickard sits down with treaty experts, educators, and lawyers to delve deeper into the historical context of pre-arrival.

References

Journal Articles:

  • Burns, C., Hetaraka, M., & Jones, A. (2024). Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi, principles and other representations. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 59(1), 15–29.

  • O’Sullivan, D., Came, H., McCreanor, T., & Kidd, J. (2021). A critical review of the Cabinet Circular on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi advice to ministers. Ethnicities, 21(6), 1093–1112. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687968211047902

  • Pitama, S., Haitana, T., Patu, M., Robson, B., Harris, R., McKerchar, C., ... & Crengle, S. (2024). Toitū Te Tiriti. The New Zealand Medical Journal (Online), 137(1589), 7–11.

Books:

  • Orange, C. (2021). Te Tiriti o Waitangi: An illustrated history. Bridget Williams Books.

Videos:

Cover image credit: Cam McLaren/Getty Images https://www.renews.co.nz/its-politically-tense-in-nz-but-maori-are-here-present-and-proud/