After William Hobson's stroke, various missionaries were authorised to act as official negotiators in order to gather signatures to the Treaty. By 1 April 1840, the CMS missionary in Tauranga, Alfred Brown, had received two copies of te Tiriti. One of these was a finely-written copy on paper with three wax seals, but it was never used and never returned. It is now in private ownership. Another copy, without seals and on which the signature of Hobson is thought to be forged, is this Tauranga sheet.

Brown’s diary mentions that 10 April was given up to trying to get signatures, and either that day or during the weeks that followed, 21 rangatira signed. Except for Te Kou-o-Rehua of Ngati Pukenga, all were from Ngāi Te Rangi. However Tupaea, the major Ngāi Te Rangi rangatira, and others, refused to sign.

Major Thomas Bunbury, Hobson’s second in command, arrived at Tauranga on 11 May to see how Brown was progressing. Bunbury then had the missionary James Stack produce two more copies of te Tiriti. One was sent inland to Rotorua and Taupō where local tribes Te Arawa and Ngāti Tūwharetoa refused to sign (this copy has since been lost). The second copy was the Bay of Plenty (Fedarb) Sheet: www.flickr.com/photos/archivesnz/12195488783

The Tauranga Sheet was finally returned to Hobson on 23 May 1840.

Archives Reference: IA9/9 Sheet 5 archives.govt.nz/exhibitions/permanentexhibitions/treaty/...

You can view the names of those who signed, as well as an interactive map, at the nzhistory.net.nz ‘Making the Treaty’ page: www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/interactive/tauranga-treaty-copy and at www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty/signatories

This record is part of #Waitang175, celebrating 175 years since the signing of of te Tiriti o Waitangi. You can see other real time tweets on Twitter (twitter.com/ArchivesNZ), or explore the Waitangi 175 album here on Flickr.