At 9.30 am on 6 February 1840, missionaries set out from Paihia to Waitangi. There they found some 300 to 400 Māori “scattered in small parties according to their tribes” – a smaller gathering than the day before, but still a fair number.

However there was no sign of William Hobson. At noon, two staff from the HMS Herald arrived, and were surprised that everyone onshore was waiting for him. Hobson was quickly fetched from the ship, and other than his hat, rushed over dressed in civilian clothes rather than his naval uniform of the previous day.

The party then proceeded to the tent. The table at which the chiefs would sign te Tiriti was arranged, and Hobson stood and announced, “I can only receive signatures this day. I cannot allow of any discussion, this not being a regular public meeting.” Williams then read te Tiriti aloud from the new parchment copy made by Richard Taylor (the Waitangi Sheet).

Catholic Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier then asked Hobson if some guarantee could be given of freedom of religious worship in New Zealand. Not happy and unsure of what to say, Henry Williams eventually announced the words ‘E mea ana te Kawana, ko nga whakapono katoa, o Ingarani, o nga Weteriana, o Roma, me te ritenga Maori hoki, e tiakina ngatahitia e ia’. This meant ‘The Governor says the several faiths [beliefs] of England, of the Wesleyans, of Rome, and also the Maori custom, shall be alike protected by him’. This verbal agreement has become known as the ‘fourth article’ of te Tiriti.

The chiefs were invited to step forward and sign, but none made any move to do so. James Busby then hit upon the idea of calling out the rangatira to sign by name, and began with Hōne Heke. After an apparent discussion between William Colenso and Busby on whether the rangatira about to sign truly understood the terms of te Tiriti, Hōne Heke at last stepped forward and signed. He was followed by approximately 42 to 45 other chiefs (it is difficult to be certain from the marks and signatures on the parchment how many signed on 6 February itself), including some who had not been present during the previous day’s proceedings. Three were women: Takurua, Te Marama, and Ana Hamu.

Eventually those most vocal against the Treaty, Te Kēmara and Rewa, signed. However a short while later, Rewa dissuaded chiefs from signing te Tiriti at a hui at Manukau Harbour. Two chiefs, Marupō and Ruhe, maintained concerted and expressive speeches against te Tiriti, although both in due course signed. The meeting closed with Patuone presenting Hobson with a greenstone mere “expressly” for Queen Victoria and three cheers being given for “the Governor”. At Hobson’s request, Colenso arranged the distribution of gifts to all the signatories.

Overall, Colenso noted the absence of many chiefs "of the first rank" amongst the signatories. Indeed, those whose names remained notably absent included Wai, Kawiti, Pōmare, Te Ururoa, Waikato, Wharepoaka, and Tāreha (although Tāreha’s son Mene appeared to sign on his behalf). Colenso also noted that none of the signatories had come from anywhere further away than Hokianga or Whangaruru.

This reconstruction of the 6 February hui comes from a painting by Marcus King, and depicts Tāmati Wāka Nene in the act of signing. Hobson is falsely shown in full uniform (he was actually wearing civilian clothing).

Archives Reference: ABKB 8032 W5234 Box 1/1 2445 archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=19844151

This record is part of #Waitang175, celebrating 175 years since the signing of of te Tiriti o Waitangi. You can see other real time tweets on Twitter (twitter.com/ArchivesNZ), or explore the Waitangi 175 album here on Flickr.

Material supplied by Archives New Zealand