What did Hobson Pledge at Waitangi?

In this blog, we delve into the role that William Hobson played as representative of the Crown in 1840. We’re posting this on the anniversary of the day that William Hobson arrived in Aotearoa 185 years ago. 

What did Hobson Pledge at Waitangi? 

Through his mahi at Waitangi, William Hobson secured a place in Aotearoa history. On the anniversary of his arrival in Aotearoa to arrange a Treaty, January 29, 1840, we’ll delve into the conditions in which Hobson arrived here. It was the middle of a Tai Tokerau summer, and he was under directions from England to negotiate a treaty.

Why did Hobson come to Aotearoa?

William Hobson came here via Gadigal country (Sydney), which was set up as a local outpost for Britain. Many colonial names from that time are well known to us. Thomas Brisbane was a governor of New South Wales, appointed by the Duke of Wellington. Hobson was made Admiral by George Eden, Earl of Auckland. Even the British Resident at Waitangi, James Busby, spent a few years in Dharug country at Parramatta. As you learn about this history, it gets easier to recognise it in the landscape.   

Britain recognised Māori sovereignty through their acknowledgement of He Whakaputanga | the Declaration of Independence. In January 1840, Hobson arrived in Aotearoa, having called in at Sydney on the way. In his new role as Lieutenant-Governor, his instructions were to ‘treat’ or negotiate with Māori over lands and sovereignty. This means he was sent to conduct negotiations between two sovereign peoples.

What was Hobson’s legacy? What was his role in creating te Tiriti? 

As a newbie, Hobson didn’t speak Māori, so the Williams family helped translate his draft Treaty into te reo Māori. The Williams family had been living here for more than 15 years. 

Importantly, the commitments agreed to, and the promises of te Tiriti, were made by the rangatira of local hapū who signed because rangatiratanga is at hapū level. 

Queen Victoria was the other party to te Tiriti, with Hobson negotiating on her behalf. In the following decades, rangatira emphasised a solemn relationship with Victoria and te Tiriti. They made several visits to England to discuss te Tiriti with her and, later, to discuss breaches of te Tiriti. For example, Tāwhiao and Rātana sought Treaty justice from her and her heirs in the 1880s and 1920s. 

The pledges of the day were between the local rangatira and the Crown. Since then, Māori have consistently called for te Tiriti to be honoured, with that call more recently supported by many tangata tiriti. Hobson is said to have said "He iwi tahi tātou" as te Tiriti was signed. Today, it’s up to each of the parties to determine if this is or was true.  

So what became of Hobson? He became governor of Aotearoa but died in Tāmaki Makaurau in 1842 and was buried in the cemetery off Symonds Street. His name is commemorated in the city with a suburb, maunga, bay and street named after him.  

Hobson’s legacy was to write, translate and present te Tiriti to Māori. The pledges of te Tiriti include the promise to honour the rangatiratanga of the rangatira over their whenua. 

To understand and commit to the promise is to honour te Tiriti in 2025. There are growing signs that many tangata tiriti are keen to learn about these promises, through education and advocacy. In that regard, there’s cause for optimism.

Learn more about te Tiriti o Waitangi 

Learn more about Aotearoa at the time te Tiriti was signed by enrolling in our online module: Would you have signed te Tiriti in 1840? 

This module challenges you to consider whether you would have signed te Tiriti in 1840 or not. Learn about who the key players were, and their roles. Keep an eye out for details about this module, released early next week on our Facebook page.