Ngāi Tahu me Te Tiriti

In the autumn of 1840 seven Kāi Tahu rakatira signed a copy of Te Tiriti o Waitangi at Ōnuku, Ruapuke Island, and Ōtākou. This paved the way for a series of major land purchases between 1844 and 1864 by which the Crown acquired more than half the landmass of New Zealand from its Kāi Tahu owners. However, Te Waipounamu as a place, and Kāi Tahu as a people, receive relatively little attention within general explanations of Te Tiriti.

Join kaimahi from the Ngāi Tahu Archive and representatives from the three marae nearest the Kāi Tahu signings to learn about how events in Te Waipounamu shaped those at Waitangi, and vice versa, before and since 1840.