<P> The Treaty was written at a time when British colonists were pressuring the Crown to establish a colony in New Zealand , and when some Māori leaders had petitioned the British for protection against French forces . It was drafted with the intention of establishing a British Governor of New Zealand , recognising Māori ownership of their lands , forests and other possessions , and giving Māori the rights of British subjects . It was intended to ensure that when the declaration of British sovereignty over New Zealand was made by Lieutenant Governor William Hobson in May 1840 , the Māori people would not feel that their rights had been ignored . Once it had been written and translated , it was first signed by Northern Māori leaders at Waitangi , and subsequently copies of the Treaty were taken around New Zealand and over the following months many other chiefs signed . Around 530 to 540 Māori , at least 13 of them women , signed the Treaty of Waitangi , despite some Māori leaders cautioning against it . An immediate result of the Treaty was that Queen Victoria 's government gained the sole right to purchase land . In total there are nine signed copies of the Treaty of Waitangi including the sheet signed on 6 February 1840 at Waitangi . </P>
<P> The Treaty was written at a time when British colonists were pressuring the Crown to establish a colony in New Zealand , and when some Māori leaders had petitioned the British for protection against French forces . It was drafted with the intention of establishing a British Governor of New Zealand , recognising Māori ownership of their lands , forests and other possessions , and giving Māori the rights of British subjects . It was intended to ensure that when the declaration of British sovereignty over New Zealand was made by Lieutenant Governor William Hobson in May 1840 , the Māori people would not feel that their rights had been ignored . Once it had been written and translated , it was first signed by Northern Māori leaders at Waitangi , and subsequently copies of the Treaty were taken around New Zealand and over the following months many other chiefs signed . Around 530 to 540 Māori , at least 13 of them women , signed the Treaty of Waitangi , despite some Māori leaders cautioning against it . An immediate result of the Treaty was that Queen Victoria 's government gained the sole right to purchase land . In total there are nine signed copies of the Treaty of Waitangi including the sheet signed on 6 February 1840 at Waitangi . </P>
where was the treaty of waitangi first signed
where was the treaty of waitangi first signed
Waitangi
Waitangi