Whare Taonga - Te Tiriti o Waitangi

This episode of award-winning te reo series Whare Taonga takes a deep dive into one of Aotearoa's most monumental wharenui (traditional Māori meeting houses). The episode focusses not only on the site and surroundings of the main signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but also the landmark Te Tii Marae and stone monument — a permanent reminder of the Treaty — inscribed with the full version of the Māori text. Ngāpuhi elder Kingi Taurua and journalist Tumamao Harawira provide background on the times and the importance of the landmarks. English subtitles can be found via the 'CC' symbol at the bottom of the screen.

Those carvings represent the chiefs who lived here and deliberated over the 1835 covenant and the Treaty of Waitangi. Therefore, it's a sacred place where chiefs had spent time deliberating whether the Treaty of Waitangi was just or not.

– Kingi Taurua discusses the carvings surrounding Te Tii Marae and the monument, early in this documentary

Key Cast & Crew

Awanui Simich-Pene

Director

Tumamao Harawira

Subject

Johan Daniel Apiata

Cinematographer

Piripi Taylor

Narrator

Nathan Rea

Composer

Meg Douglas

Producer