December 31, 2013
During my recent visit to New Zealand’s Bay of Islands I visited the small Christ Church graveyard in the tiny coastal town of Russell. Christ Church is 175 years old. A small modest building, its exterior has musket ball holes from when it was attacked by angry natives prior to New Zealand becoming a peacefully settled nation. The interior is famous for the intricate, artistic design woven pillows to comfort the derrieres of service attendees.
Christ Church is New Zealand’s oldest existing church and maybe the oldest building in the country still used for its original purpose. Its beginnings trace back to the early years of native Bay of Island Maori interacting with emigrating Europeans. Missionaries from across the harbour at the Paihia mission station had rowed across to take services in private homes and eventually built the church. A ferry service now shuttles people and cars back and forth, which beats the heck out of rowing.
Today Russell is a pretty little fishing town. Back then it was called “The Hell hole of the Pacific.” The Europeans who had come to New Zealand were undisciplined bad guys. Sin came with them and spread everywhere, so much so that even the church couldn’t hold it all. Some of sin’s casualties are buried in the church yard. Graves circle Christ Church: they are in front, back, left, and right.
Strolling the yard and reading headstones is a quiet, deliberate pursuit.
After all the fighting, arguing and violent chaos finally reached its tipping point, the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi enabled the Maoris and Europeans to come together and a British Governor of New Zealand took office. It was his job to consider Maori land ownership and property, and to extend and protect the rights of the native Maoris as if they were British subjects.
This protection was necessary. The heinous crimes against humanity that caused Russell to gain its famous nickname were nearly always instigated by the Europeans against the natives and until the treaty was signed the Maoris had no way to protect a dignified existence.
On the 6th of February 1840 two versions of The Treaty of Waitangi were signed by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from throughout the North Island. One version was written in English, the other in Maori.
Because the English and Māori versions of the Treaty differed significantly, there is no consensus on what exactly was agreed to.
From the British point of view, the Treaty gave Britain sovereignty over New Zealand, and gave the Governor the right to govern the country.
The Māoris believed they ceded to the Crown a right of governance in return for protection — without giving up their authority to manage their own affairs.
After the initial signing at Waitangi, copies of the Treaty were taken around New Zealand, including its South Island, for other Maori chiefs to ratify.
As they traveled the number of copies grew to nine, including the original. Between 530 to 540 chiefs, at least 13 of them women, signed for their tribes.
The Treaty was generally regarded as having served its purpose in 1840 New Zealand but was ignored by the courts and parliament until Maori frustration bubbled into action in the 1970s.
Māori had looked to the Treaty for rights and remedies for land loss and unequal treatment by the state, but experienced only mixed success. Beginning in the late 1960s the Māoris began drawing attention to breaches of the Treaty, and subsequent histories have emphasised problems with its various translations. Agitated, they pushed for more enforcement.
In 1975 a Waitangi Tribunal was established as a permanent commission of inquiry. Its job is to research breaches by the Crown or its agents and suggest fair remedies and means of redress.
Today the Waitangi Treaty is considered the founding document of New Zealand. Despite this, the Treaty remains the subject of heated debate and disagreement by both Māori and non-Māori New Zealanders.
Many Māori feel that the Crown did not fulfill its obligations under the Treaty, and have presented evidence of this before sittings of the Tribunal. Some non-Māori New Zealanders look at things differently: They believe Māoris abuse the Treaty to claim special privileges.
The Crown is not obliged to act on the recommendations of the Tribunal but in many instances has accepted Treaty breaches and recommended settlements consisting of hundreds of millions of dollars of cash and asset reparations, as well as formal apologies.
The Christ Church graveyard’s oldest weathered headstones are hard to read but many date back to the turbulent times when Russell was, in fact, “the hell hole of the Pacific” and the Waitangi Treaty came into existence. The oldest headstones have names worn nearly smooth, with two numbers separated by a dash beneath them: Birth year — Death year.
Since birth years and death years are objective in nature, the dash in between is what occurred during that man or woman’s life. It is the riddle. The dash hides the lifetime experiences, however long or short, of the person buried beneath.
While none of us will end up in Christ Church’s burial yard alongside a Kiwi pioneer, each of us will end up identified by two numbers and a dash. The dash — that gap between the two — will represent a long time for some, not so long for others.
The number of years won’t matter as much as what the dash represents — all of its inclusions.
As 2013 fades away and 2014 ascends to take its place, commit to the only resolution you’ll ever really need: Honor the dash and make stuff happen.
Happy New Year. I hope it’s your best ever.