First published in 2010, but out of print for some time, The Treaty of Waitangi Companion by History Works directors Vincent O’Malley and Bruce Stirling has just been republished by Bridget Williams Books in a fully updated second edition.
Weaving together voices, documents and images from centuries of cooperation, conflict and change, The Treaty of Waitangi Companion ranges from first contact between Māori and Europeans to today’s debates over the place of te Tiriti o Waitangi in our constitutional arrangements.
Rather than offering a single narrative, the work instead brings readers close to the historical record itself. It draws on the words of key figures, from William Hobson and Hōne Heke to Dame Whina Cooper, Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. These voices trace the story from te Tiriti’s signing in 1840 through war and land loss, Māori renaissance and Waitangi Tribunal inquiries, and on to the debates that continue to shape Aotearoa today.
Te Tiriti speaks through many voices and this book aims to bring them alive for readers. As Treaty historians with decades working in the archives, both authors are often deeply immersed in a wide range of historical documents and artefacts and know full well how powerful and eloquent these kinds of sources can be. This work offers readers a chance to experience that also.
