Friday, October 28, will mark the 187th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand.
This document was drafted and used as a foundational document five years before the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840.
He Whakaputanga O Te Rangatiratanga O Nu Tīreni will be taught in schools as a part of New Zealand's colonial history.
But the importance of of the importance of the declaration to this country is not widely known to many New Zealanders whether Māori or Pākehā.
Whakaata Māori has now released a series called Te Aho, highlighting important historical events that have affected New Zealand's past, are affecting its present and will shape the future of Aotearoa.
Cabinet minister Peeni Henare and Historian Professor Vincent O’Malley feature on today’s episode talking about the history of the document, the geopolitical state of the world when the document was created and why the Declaration is important for New Zealand now.