WAITANGI DAY

New Zealand's national holiday, Waitangi Day commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, a historic alliance between Māoris and the British that officially attached New Zealand to the British crown.

The treaty, however, is so fraught with controversy that it's sometimes hard to know whether the day really marks a celebration. There are celebrations to be had, as the national holiday obliges, but with consciences awakening to the flaws in the treaty, they will no doubt be increasingly accompanied by debate.