Waitangi, Northland
Waitangi | |
|---|---|
Te Whare Rūnanga, the carved meeting house on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds | |
| Coordinates: 35°15′58″S 174°4′48″E / 35.26611°S 174.08000°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Northland Region |
| District | Far North District |
| Ward | Bay of Islands-Whangaroa |
| Community | Bay of Islands-Whangaroa |
| Subdivision | Paihia |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Far North District Council |
| • Regional council | Northland Regional Council |
| • Mayor of Far North | Moko Tepania |
| • Northland MP | Grant McCallum |
| • Te Tai Tokerau MP | Mariameno Kapa-Kingi |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.19 km2 (6.64 sq mi) |
Waitangi is a locality on the north side of the Waitangi River in the Bay of Islands, 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Whangārei, on the North Island of New Zealand. It is close to the town of Paihia, to which it is connected by a bridge near the mouth of the Waitangi River estuary. While Statistics New Zealand and NZ Post consider the southern boundary of Waitangi to be the river and estuary, with the area further south being part of Paihia, the area by Te Tī Bay, immediately south of the river, is sometimes referred to as part of Waitangi.
The Treaty of Waitangi was first signed at Waitangi on 6 February 1840. It is also the place where the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand was signed five years earlier, on 28 October 1835. This document was ratified by the British Crown the following year (1836).
"Waitangi" is a Māori-language name meaning "noisy waters" or "weeping waters", probably referring to the Haruru Falls on the Waitangi River.