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"He kotuku rerenga tahi"
"A white heron flies once"
(used when something very special and unusual takes place)​

The flag of this fledgling nation, agreed upon at this place one year prior, swayed proud in the breeze. The gentle wind kissed the white ensign, emblazoned with the cross of St. George, with a blue canton and stars, as if to bless the new country. It was at this place, Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, that James Busby, the British Resident in New Zealand, had gathered thirty four Northern rangatira (chiefs), representing various Māori hapū (sub-tribes or clans). On the grass square that performed the function of a marae (meeting place) outside Busby's humble home, the dignitaries put their signatures and marks to the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand. Overlooking the sea, this place took its name from the Māori for "weeping waters", a reminder of these islands' bloody history of fratricidal warfare. But here, some of these chiefs promised to put aside their differences to forge a common future. Whilst this would at first be very loose and appeared but a pipe dream, circumstances would conspire in favour of unity of the Māori of Aotearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud, or Nu Tireni, as it would also be known. This would not be achieved merely through peace. It was only a few years prior that the warlord Hongi Hika of the great Northern iwi (tribe) of Ngāpuhi had passed away. Hongi Hika had acquired muskets from the Europeans and sparked a series of conflicts and migrations throughout New Zealand, worrying the small groups of British settlers, missionaries, sealers and whalers whose interests lay in these islands. They had their own interests and intentions, of course, but of paramount importance was settling the conflicts which consumed these lands. To this purpose Busby and the chiefs formed a confederation, changing forever the destiny not only of these islands, but of the entire South Pacific.


The Flag of the United Tribes

"The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of Nu Tireni, was signed in response to both Māori and British concerns regarding the activity of Europeans and the necessity of establishing Māori legal authority over this country. Highly problematic was the actions of traders in alcohol, but the overriding concern at Waitangi was the actions of Baron Charles de Thierry, who sought to establish a sovereign state in a 40,000 acre claim at Hokianga, supposedly granted to him by Hongi Hika whilst the rangatira was in England. The involvement of de Thierry in provisioning muskets to Hongi Hika in the 1820s for his campaigns alarmed Resident Busby, who feared another destabilisation of the inter-iwi and inter-hapū political landscape. Convincing various Ngāpuhi hapū rangatira of the necessity of proclaiming independence to prevent the transgressions of foreign filibusters. In signing the Declaration, the present rangatira reaffirmed their legal power and authority over their lands, whilst also thanking the British King William IV for his "friendship and protection". Such status as a British protectorate was extremely important for the fledgling United Tribes. It provided a security umbrella which deterred foreign aggression and allowed the expansion and development of the United Tribes. The relationship with the British was, as we all know, not without friction, but it was key in providing an environment that allowed Nu Tireni to further its unique constitutional development and its eventual unification."

-Whetu Hika
From oral examination, HISTORY 102: An Introduction to the History of Aotearoa Nu Tireni (GRADE: B-)
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitangi (The University of Waitangi)
Assessment notes:
Content-wise, insufficient. Simply regurgitated points made in lectures with little evidence of critical thinking. Nevertheless, competent and accurate recollection of facts.
Poor oral presentation. Lack of engagement with assessors, as well as lack of evident mana in terms of rhetorical skill. Requires significant improvement to achieve higher grades.
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