Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-fqc5m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-19T08:01:10.969Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

8 - The Retreat of the Government and the Rise of the Treaty, 1844–1845

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2020

Bain Attwood
Affiliation:
Monash University, Victoria
Get access

Summary

The winter and spring of 1844–45 saw debate about native title in New Zealand reach a zenith in Britain. In a fierce parliamentary clash, the Treaty of Waitangi became the reference point in discussions of native title. This was not a consequence of the meanings or the importance attributed to the Treaty at the time it was made in 1840 but a result of the claims that had been made about it since 1842–43. In fact, the Treaty’s rise to prominence was the result of a struggle over the meaning of native title. The continuing attack by the New Zealand Company and allies, such as Lord Howick, saw the government increasingly arguing that the Treaty had to be upheld because it had acquired the nature of a solemn contract, and the honour and good faith of the British Crown and the nation were at stake. At the same time, the way that principal political players in Britain represented the natives’ military power varied enormously according to political circumstances and need, which draws into question the conventional wisdom that the British government respected the New Zealanders and their rights because of the simple fact of their might.

Type
Chapter
Information
Empire and the Making of Native Title
Sovereignty, Property and Indigenous People
, pp. 301 - 339
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×