Kāwanatanga is a word in theMāori language ofNew Zealand, derived from the English word "governor".Kāwanatanga was first used in theDeclaration of Independence of New Zealand, 1835.[1]Kāwanatanga reappeared in 1840 in Article 1 of theTreaty of Waitangi, where the Māori text "te Kawanatanga katoa" corresponds to the English text "all the rights and powers of Sovereignty".
Kāwanatanga is often translated today as governance or government.[2][3]
The first part of the word,Kāwana, is atransliteration into Māori of the English wordgovernor. The suffix-tanga is very similar in meaning and use to the English suffix-ship, for examplerangatiratanga (chieftainship) andkīngitanga (kingship). So a literal translation of the word would begovernorship. This word had little meaning to the chiefs signing the treaty, since the concept of being governed by an overseeing authority was alien to Māori.[4] What understanding Māori may have had of the term was derived principally from the Bible and in particularHerod's Governorship.[5] At the time the Bible was one of few long printed texts in Māori enjoying wide distribution.[citation needed]
Judith Binney has suggested that the chiefs may have assumed the term referred to the governor,William Hobson, and understood it as referring to his governorship rather than understanding that they were ceding "governance".[4]
HistoriansRanginui Walker andRuth Ross have suggested that the wordmana may have been a more appropriate meaning, and note that ifmana had been used instead ofkāwanatanga, the treaty may never have been signed by Māori.[6]
The meaning attached to this word, and in particular how it relates torangatiratanga is important to discussion of the Treaty of Waitangi.[4] This treaty is still important in contemporary New Zealand, and remains the topic of controversy and political debate.
Anthropologist Hugh Kawharu has made a contemporary translation of the treaty using the term ‘government’, rather than ‘sovereignty’, for ‘kāwanatanga’.[4] Kawharu noted, ‘There could be no possibility of the Māori signatories having any understanding of government in the sense of “sovereignty”: ie, any understanding on the basis of experience or cultural precedent.’[7]
Māori constitutional lawyerMoana Jackson has stated that, because theNew Zealand Government (identified as "Kawanatanga" in the Treaty text) is the body politic enforcing the Treaty and making settlements, "Kawanatanga" is the actual party to the Treaty, notthe Crown.[8]
