He whakapapa kōrero, he whenua kura
Talking about our past, to create a better future

Panui 8 - April 2017

In late March 2017 the He Tohu exhibition Crown-Māori partners had their last formal meeting ahead of the opening to the public on 20 May. They discussed the strong partnership that has grown between the Crown and iwi during the development of the exhibition and how it can be further strengthened to ensure the exhibition remains relevant and current. The He Tohu partners, together with Department of Internal Affairs executives, are seen in Parliament’s Māori Affairs Select Committee room.

Back row, left: Hugh Karena, Director, Māori Strategy and Relationships; Raniera Tau, chairman Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi O Nāpuhi; Rahui Papa, chairman Waikato-Tainui Te Arataura; Haami Piripi, chairman Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa; Peter Murray, Deputy Chief Executive. Front row, left: Tā Tumu te Heuheu, chairman He Kainga Tuwharetoa; Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Peter Dunne; Tā Mark Solomon, Ngāi Tahu.

NZ Post issues stamp series to commemorate He Tohu opening – on sale from 17 May

three days before the He Tohu exhibition opens to the public on 20 May, New Zealand Post will issue a special commemorative stamp set, featuring a stamp on each of the three taonga documents:

• 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand
• 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi
• 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine

The stamps will be launched in Parliament on 17 May by the Minister of Internal Affairs and the chairperson of New Zealand Post, Jane Taylor.

The stamp issue is one of four key milestones between now and the exhibition opening: 

Moving of the documents – late April

In an event with deep significance and importance to Māori, the exhibition documents will be moved from Archives New Zealand to the National Library of New Zealand in late April. For Māori, it is not just the physical documents being moved, but the mana of those who signed. The He Tohu tikanga group is made up of Wellington manawhenua, Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu and Department of Internal Affairs representatives, and has a lead role in planning the move. There will also be strong representation from the women’s groups who have been involved in advising on the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition exhibition content. 

He Tohu stamp set launched – 17 May

The He Tohu commemorative stamp set will be on sale in New Zealand Post shops and agencies throughout New Zealand for one year. First Day Covers will be available for purchase at the He Tohu exhibition. 

Exhibition official opening – 19 May
The Governor General, Her Excellency Dame Patsy Reddy, together with the exhibition’s iwi leader partners, will officially open He Tohu on 19 May. Apart from a focus on the Crown-Māori partnership, the opening will have special features that celebrate the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition, with a large representation from women’s groups across the nation. 

Whānau day – 20 May
On Saturday 20 May, He Tohu opens to the public for the first time. Special events are planned, and parents are encouraged to bring their children to this historic day – the opening of a 25 year long exhibition of the documents that shape our nation.

Go online to see if your great-great granny or koro played a role in the birth of our nation

Are you a descendant of a Treaty of Waitangi signatory? Did your great-great grandmother sign the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition that made our nation the first in the world to give women the vote? You can now go online to check.

Perhaps many tens of thousands of New Zealanders – both Māori and Pakeha – are not aware they are direct descendants of signatories to the historic constitutional documents that shape our nation.

Two of these documents: the 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi -Treaty of Waitangi and the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine have now been digitised and anyone can go online to check if their forebear was either a signatory, and, in the case of the Treaty, a witness to the signings.

The third document, 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni - Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand is being digitised by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. It contains 52 signatures, including some of the chiefs and witnesses who signed the Treaty of Waitangi five years later.

The signatories to these three constitutional documents will be in the spotlight when the He Tohu exhibition opens on 20 May in the National Library of New Zealand, Wellington.

How to check online: 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi – signatories and witnesses can be found on: 

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/treaty/nga-tohu-treaty-signatories

 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition – a feature where anyone can check whether their family member signed is at:

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/womens-suffrage/petition 

Both sites have the ability to add stories and/or photographs about the signatories, thus increasing and sharing information about those who founded our nation.

Annette Paterson with a bust of Kate Sheppard, in the main foyer of Parliament, Wellington. The bust was given by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union to commemorate the centenary of suffrage.

Paterson proud to head organisation behind 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition

Annette Paterson is a direct descendant – on her father’s side – of a signatory to the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition (WSP).

In a symbolic sense, she is also a direct descendent of Kate Sheppard, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) leader who was a driving force behind the 1893 WSP.

Annette is the WCTU’s current president. The organisation continues to be active in a number of New Zealand cities – particularly Auckland, where Annette lives - but no longer has the profile or membership of yester-year.

Over the past two years she has played an important advisory role in the development of the He Tohu exhibition, as part of the Women’s Suffrage Petition Advisory Group.

“I was most amazed when I got a call (in 2015) from the Department of Internal Affairs Deputy Chief Executive, saying he would like to meet us. He told us about the planned Archives Exhibition, and the focus on the Women’s Suffrage Petition. He knew about the importance and role of the WCTU in making the petition happen.”

What does she think about the He Tohu exhibition? “Part of the exhibition development has been to preserve the petition for further generations, and this is so important because it’s such an amazing document.

“A huge proportion of the country’s women folk signed it, and that was in the days before email, cars, planes and other easy communication methods. Our members had to work hard to reach each of the more than 30,000 who signed.”

“I am thrilled the exhibition will make the petition more accessible to everyone. Especially for young people, so they can see the actual document, check whether they are connected to a signatory, learn the stories about the petition, and ask more questions of their own about what it means in today’s world.”