Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"Two days later, 40 chiefs signed the Maori version of Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands. By it, the Maori were guaranteed control over their land and other property, but in return they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria. Over the next few months another 500 chiefs signed copies of the treaty, and the British proclaimed that it applied even to those who had not signed. A new colony had been added to the British Empire. . . . The numbers of settlers increased, causing disputes about land ownership, and the Maori population declined because of infectious European diseases. . . . Waitangi Day is celebrated as a public holiday in New Zeeland, and the treaty is generally considered to be the founding document of New Zealand. However, the meaning of the treaty has long been highly controversial." [Furtado: 1001 Days]