Aotearoa New Zealand does not have a written constitution, rather a collection of fundamental laws, conventions, and documents, including The Treaty Of Waitangi, the Māori text of which ,Te Tiriti, was the one signed by most rangatira Māori (540, compared to 39 who signed the English version), and it is that text which is recognised in international law (contra preferentem).

David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill is, for many reasons, deeply flawed; not the least of which is that his proposal is based on a mistranslation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

In this interview Dame Anne Salmond, who is a Distinguished Professor of Māori Studies and Anthropology at the University of Auckland, takes us back to 1840 to supply the context in which the treaty was signed, before describing, in detail, what each of the articles in the Māori text, Te Tiriti, actually says.

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