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Te Pēwhairangi Bay of Islands has a rich history of occupation, extending back to the first arrival and including important wāhi tapu relating to key Ngāpuhi ancestors located on what is now the Treaty Grounds. The relationships formed by enterprising Ngāpuhi figures such as Te Pahi and Ruatara meant the Church Missionary Society established its first mission stations in the Bay of Islands. The missionaries at Paihia were busy. Henry Williams played a key role in Treaty processes, while his brother William translated the New Testament into Māori and began compiling the first Māori dictionary. William Colenso set up the country’s first printing press. Charles Darwin dropped by on The Beagle in 1835.
When James Busby, the first official envoy from the British (with the charmingly unambitious title of British Resident) arrived in 1833, he decided to settle at Waitangi, just two kilometres from the Paihia mission station. Busby’s estate was the setting for key moments – the development and signings of He Whakaputanga Declaration of Independence in 1835 and Te Tiriti o Waitangi the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. However, as the new nation’s governmental centre of gravity shifted southward, and Te Titiri receded from the consciousness of the colonial government, Waitangi became privately owned farmland and Paihia dwindled into a small but picturesque hamlet.
There was no such forgetfulness from Māori. Many of the pivotal events in our history through the middle of the 19th reported the production of the monument: “The natives appear to set great store to the privileges and rights the treaty confers… and they are now determined to have it engraved indelibly” (14 August 1880). Despite its condescending tone, the article was accurate; this determination was evident as regular meetings continued at Te Tii through the subsequent years.
