He Whakaputanga - The Declaration of Independence
A Declaration. A Treaty. A Petition. He Whakaputanga/The Declaration of Independence, 1835 Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, 1840 The Women’s Suffrage Petition/Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine, 1893 These three iconic New Zealand documents are now on public display at the National Library of New Zealand in the He Tohu exhibition held jointly with Archives New Zealand. Three books, published by Bridget Williams Books with the Department of Internal Affairs, take the story of these three foundational documents out to readers throughout the country. Each book contains full colour facsimiles of the original document, and wide-ranging new research, led by Archives New Zealand, introduces us to many of the signatories. Texts by historians sets each document in context. Having served as an historical advisor in the preparation of the He Tohu exhibition content, I was delighted to be asked to contribute to the book on He Whakaputanga o te Ran...