Contemporary New Zealand is being shaped by the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 by over five hundred Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown. Few subjects in recent years have created as much debate as this document.

An Illustrated History of the Treaty of Waitangi begins before the signing, and tells the story of the Treaty to the present day. The is a history of two peoples meeting, of encounters and negotiations, agreements made and broken, laws, claims and protests, as Maori and Pakeha seek ways of living together in New Zealand.

Claudia Orange is an acknowledged authority on the Treaty of Waitangi, who brings to this book years of research. Photographs, maps, drawings and paintings bring the story to life, and lists of Treaty signatories provide essential detail.