At the Wesleyan mission station at Mangungu, on the upper reaches of the Hokianga harbour, a large crowd had gathered for the hui of 12 February. William Hobson wrote that 3,000 Māori, including some 400 to 500 rangatira of varying ranks, had assembled near the mission station. Taylor thought that the crowd attending the meeting itself totalled 500. Debate on te Tiriti lasted from the morning until nearly six in the evening (you can read the Waitangi Tribunal’s detailed account of the speeches here: goo.gl/NWXeqK).

Despite comments in Hobson’s favour, it seems that the rangatira were still not ready to commit themselves. It was missionary influence that ultimately made the difference, and after their reassurances, the chiefs apparently stepped forward with such enthusiasm that Hobson had difficulty restraining "those who were disentitled by their rank from inserting their names". The signing continued until midnight, with sixty or more signatures gathered. But as at Waitangi, the exact number who signed that evening at Mangungu is uncertain. A number refused to sign, and two hapū tried to remove their signatures the following day.

You can learn more about who signed at Mangungu here: www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty/location/mangungu/12...

The site of the large hui, Mangungu Mission, is pictured in this 1978 photograph by T Hann. The 1838 house itself is on the left, and on the waterfront is St John’s Community Church. During the hui a table and chairs were set out for the official party on the house’s veranda, and the rangatira were invited to gather on the lawn in front of the house (the limited space before the land falls steeply down to the Hokianga Harbour).

Archives Reference: AAQT 6539 Box 198/ B18780

This record is part of #Waitangi175, 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.

Material supplied by Archives New Zealand