With Waitangi Day just around the corner, here’s a handful of fascinating facts about our nation’s founding document and the events of February 6.

Our Waitangi 2025 coverage is possible because of the over 13,000 Spinoff members who pay to support our work. If you aren’t supporting our work as a member yet, now is the time.

It’s often called our nation’s founding document. While much has been written and shared about te Tiriti o Waitangi, here are a few lesser-known facts you might be unfamiliar with.

The nation’s first capital

You could be forgiven for assuming that Kororāreka, known today as Russell, was the country’s first capital. It was New Zealand’s first large port and known around the globe as being a bit of a lawless place. Straight after signing te Tiriti, New Zealand’s first governor William Hobson needed somewhere to call the capital. It is said that because of the poor reputation of Kororāreka, Hobson instead chose Okiato – a small settlement seven kilometres south – as the country’s  first national capital. 

Okiato served as the capital for a short period between 1840 and 1841, before the capital moved to Auckland. Originally a successful trading post owned by James Reddy Clendon, plans for a new town named Russell were drawn up for the site but never fully developed and the existing buildings became the nucleus of the capital. After Hobson’s departure, the site was occupied by a police magistrate until a fire destroyed the former government house in 1842. Now just a small reserve, the only remaining visible remnant of the Clendon trading station and the Government occupation is the well, which was found to have been used as a rubbish dump. 

The Treaty wasn’t just signed at Waitangi

While Waitangi is the most famous site, the Treaty of Waitangi was taken around New Zealand over the course of 1840, with copies signed at more than 40 locations from Horeke in the north to Ruapuke Island in the deep south. Different versions of the treaty exist, with some signatories never seeing the full document. Many iwi and hapū around the country choose to acknowledge te Tiriti o Waitangi on the day their tūpuna signed the document, instead of on February 6.

A few Māori rangatira ended up signing multiple copies of the treaty in different locations. This was partly due to the confusion caused by different treaty versions and the belief that signing at different places might increase their mana.

The Treaty of Waitangi could’ve been the Treaty of Hokianga

The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6, 1840 is well known, but few realise Pēwhairangi (the Bay of Islands) wasn’t initially intended as the main location. Hobson originally planned for the treaty discussions to take place in the Hokianga, where missionaries like Henry Williams had significant influence. The single biggest signing of te Tiriti o Waitangi was at Mangungu in South Hokianga on February 12, 1840. More than 3,000 Māori gathered and 64 rangatira put their tohu to the document.

James Busby’s home wasn’t just a house

James Busby’s residence at Waitangi, now known as the Treaty House, was also New Zealand’s first unofficial parliament. Before the treaty, the first flag for the nation was chosen here in 1834 and in 1835 Busby gathered Māori rangatira there to draft He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, known in English as the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand. 

The estate remained in the family until 1882 but fell into disrepair over the next 50 years. In 1932, Lord Bledisloe (the governor-general) and Lady Bledisloe, recognising its historical significance, purchased and gifted the property to New Zealand as a national memorial. Restored in 1933 and again in 1989, the Treaty House now features themed rooms showcasing its history, including Busby’s role in drafting te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Pēwhairangi had a Māori-controlled economy

In the early 1800s, the Bay of Islands was a thriving economy largely controlled by the country’s largest iwi, Ngāpuhi. They regulated trade with European whalers and settlers, sometimes imposing customs taxes on ships entering their waters.

The centenary was a pretty big deal, for Pākehā

In 1940, New Zealand’s centennial celebrations focussed on European progress rather than Māori history or the Treaty of Waitangi. Nationwide events included memorial unveilings, re-enactments, festivals, and publications that reshaped historical narratives. The highlight was Wellington’s 55-acre Centennial Exhibition, seen as a symbol of national ambition, though many were drawn to its Playland amusement park.

Some copies of the Treaty went missing for decades

Several copies of the treaty were lost for long periods. The English version wasn’t widely circulated at the time, and one of the key copies was discovered in a drawer in the 1900s, significantly damaged by water and rats.

Many rangatira initially rejected the Treaty

Before the treaty was signed, several prominent Māori leaders, including Te Kemara, Rewa and Kawiti, strongly opposed it. They saw it as a threat to Māori sovereignty and only reluctantly signed after much debate and missionary influence.

There was a French fear factor

One of the key reasons the British pushed for the Treaty of Waitangi was a fear of French colonisation. A Frenchman, self-proclaimed coloniser Baron Charles de Thierry, had attempted to establish an independent colony in the Hokianga in the 1830s, making the British anxious about losing influence.

After purportedly purchasing 40,000 acres of land in Hokianga in 1822, de Thierry travelled through the Americas and Pacific, briefly declaring himself King of Nuku Hiva in what’s now French Polynesia, prior to arriving in Aotearoa in 1837. Forced to settle for 800 acres, his colony collapsed, and the Treaty of Waitangi ended his plans. Later, he lived in Auckland, worked for the French consulate, and with Governor Grey’s support, wrote an autobiography portraying himself as a misunderstood pioneer. He died in 1864.

Waitangi Day wasn’t always a national holiday

Waitangi Day only became a public holiday in 1974, following decades of advocacy by Māori groups. Before that, it was a regional holiday, primarily observed in Northland, and was not widely recognised across New Zealand. As a national holiday it was called New Zealand Day for two years before then prime minister Robert Muldoon reverted the name back to Waitangi Day.