Using the material available in NZHistory.net.nz about the Treaty of Waitangi and pre-1840 contact as well as your own knowledge and information, write one of the following practice essays for achievement standard 3.4: examine a significant decision made by people in history, in an essay.
Essay questions
1. What factors contributed to the British government's decision to offer Maori the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840? What were the consequences of this decision?
2. Why did many Maori chiefs decide to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840? What were the consequences of their decision to sign?
Remember structure is important
Introduction - your opening paragraph should:
Body - write structured and sequenced paragraphs that:
Conclusion - write a concluding paragraph that sums up your main ideas and argument and links them back to the focus of the essay.
You should aim to write about 800–1000 words.
For more detail on this achievement standard and criteria open this Word document from the NZQA site.
Next page: Reading the Treaty of Waitangi