Waikato – 44 Waikato chiefs sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840
In 1840 forty-four Waikato chiefs travelled north to the Manukau Heads and Manukau Harbour to sign the Treaty of Waitangi; three Ngāti Maniapoto chiefs and three Ngāti Haua chiefs signed as well, though most signatories were Waikato. Before European arrival the Waikato was the third most densely populated part of the country, home to iwi of the Tainui confederation. Between about 1750 and 1842 the area saw many invasions and large migrations, and the largest battle ever fought in New Zealand took place near Ōhaupō around 1790 to 1805. The region today stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula to the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, with Hamilton at its centre. Share your stories and photographs with us.