Video episode available on my Substack.

Ross Calman (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa) is a writer, historian, and translator whose award-winning book Te Tiriti o Waitangi offers one of the most succinct and accessible introductions to our nation’s founding document. At just 80 pages, it distils decades of scholarship and debate into a clear overview — from the early encounters between Māori and missionaries, to the New Zealand Company’s ambitions, the rushed translation at Waitangi, and the many hui where the treaty was later taken around the country.

In this episode, Ross shares why he chose to write such a concise guide, how he approached telling a story that spans Polynesian voyaging, British imperial politics, and the Declaration of Independence, and what we can learn from the debates that took place in February 1840.

We talk about the different understandings of terms like kāwanatanga and tino rangatiratanga, the importance of recognising the Māori text signed across the motu, and how practical factors — from translation deadlines to food shortages — shaped the outcome. Ross also reflects on the changes of the past 20 years, the treaty’s place in popular culture and protest, and why he sees te Tiriti as an enlightened agreement that continues to hold value not only for Māori but for all New Zealanders.

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