“One Faith, One Love, One Law”: Ruth Ross and the Humanitarian Treaty of Waitangi

Abstract

It is now commonplace to believe that Māori were misled into signing Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi and misunderstood that it involved a cession of sovereignty to the Crown. This interpretation of the Treaty was first argued by Ruth Ross in her 1972 article, “Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Texts and Translations”, and many today continue to rely on that interpretation, including the Waitangi Tribunal. The following essay critiques Ross’s interpretation and finds it lacking in key areas. Most importantly, Ross misunderstood or ignored the explanations of the British humanitarians who authored or were later charged with upholding the Treaty. She also ignored the statements of the Māori leaders who signed and later sought to hold the Crown to its undertakings. Their statements make clear that the Treaty was not the fraud or misunderstanding that Ross first suggested and which many today believe. It was instead an exceptional and mutual declaration by the Crown and te iwi Māori that they would unite for their mutual benefit under the law and authority of God and the Queen, and that both parties would abide by the Christian principles of “love”.