Waitangi Day in New Zealand

Today is Waitangi Day in New Zealand. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on this date in 1840 between the Brits and the Maoris.

It's still a controversial document, with disagreement about the intent hinging on several mistranslations between the English and the Maori. As far as the Brits were concerned, the treaty gave them sovereignty over New Zealand and allowed a governor to run the country. About 500 Maori chiefs signed the document and there seemed to be at least that many interpretations of what the document meant to them.

Many of these misunderstandings lingered, bubbled and occasionally erupted. A tribunal was established in 1975 to bring the issues to resolution. The politics are still unstable and tense, despite large settlements, land transfers and apologies.

Waitangi Day commemorations have sometimes been less than celebratory and Pakeha - people of European descent - politicians have been jostled and spat upon. Prime Minister John Key was heckled and called "the enemy" as he appeared at a Marae yesterday. Generally, though there seems to be less rancour this year. Still, the nation's founding document is very much alive. Today the most public struggle seems to be about whether to Monday-ize" the holiday, if falling on a Sunday means no extra day off. Perhaps that's progress. It certainly seems to be uniting politicians of all stripes.