Waikato-Manukau treaty copy

Use the tool bar at the bottom of this interactive to zoom in and navigate. The drop-down menu at the top lists the names of those who signed – selecting a name takes you to their signature on the document.

The Waikato-Manukau copy of the treaty

There are 39 signatures on the Waikato-Manukau copy of the Treaty of Waitangi. This appears to have been the only copy of the treaty in English that was sent out for signing (see a transcript of the main text here).

Robert Maunsell, whose mission station was near the mouth of the Waikato River, received this copy in late March or early April 1840, just as about 1500 Māori were gathering for a meeting. He believed that the 32 chiefs who initially signed the copy were most of the leading men of the area. They were mainly from the lower Waikato region, with some from Ngāruawāhia and further upstream. Seven names were added at Manukau Harbour (probably at Āwhitu) on 26 April. Te Wherowhero and several others who were present refused to sign, possibly because the occasion lacked the dignity of the events at Waitangi.

This copy is neatly written on paper. It has the seal and signature of Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson, who signed with his left hand because his right hand had been paralysed by a stroke on 1 March. Maunsell took care to record the tribe (iwi) and/or hapū (subtribe) of most of the chiefs. Sometimes he noted their location, although this was seldom fixed as political and seasonal pressures meant that chiefs and their people moved about a good deal. Hoana (Joanna?) Riutoto (No. 15) was a woman of rank.

Follow links in this table to find out more about those who signed and the signing occasion.