Magna Carta and New Zealand

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Introduction

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. “… a Document of Our Times.” Magna Carta in Aotearoa New Zealand

      • Chris Jones, Stephen Winter

      Pages 3-20

3. Remembrance

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 21-21

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   2. Magna Carta and Memorialization: The Perils of Historical Anniversaries

      • Lindsay Diggelmann

      Pages 23-44

   3. Myths and History: The Treaty of Waitangi as “The Magna Charta of New Zealand”

      • David V. Williams

      Pages 45-64

4. Reception

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 65-65

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   2. Magna Carta and a Paradox of Authority

      • Andrew Sharp

      Pages 67-88

   3. Symbol and Myth: Magna Carta in Legal and Public Discourse About Law and Rights in New Zealand, 1840−1940

      • Jeremy Finn

      Pages 89-109

   4. The Politics of Magna Carta and the Ancient Constitution in New Zealand, 1642–c.1860

      • Geoff Kemp

      Pages 111-131

   5. The Myth of the “Māori Magna Carta”

      • Te Maire Tau, Madi Williams

      Pages 133-152

   6. Mekana Tata: Magna Carta and the Political Thought of Aperahama Taonui

      • Laura Kamau

      Pages 153-159

   7. The Utility of a Medieval Charter in New Zealand Litigation: The Case of the Magna Carta

      • Lindsay Breach

      Pages 161-180

   8. Magna Carta and the Righteous Underdog in Modern Popular Culture

      • Anna Milne-Tavendale

      Pages 181-203

5. Reflection

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 205-205

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   2. Magna Carta’s Promise: Strengthening the Declaration of Rights-Inconsistency

      • Stephen Winter

      Pages 207-227

   3. Mana and Magna Carta: Locating New Legacies for a Medieval Charter in Post-colonial Aotearoa New Zealand

      • Chris Jones

      Pages 229-251

6. Conclusion

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 253-253

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   2. Tear it up? Challenging the Charter

      • Stephen Winter, Chris Jones

      Pages 255-263

7. Back Matter

   Pages 265-288

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This volume is the first to explore the vibrant history of Magna Carta in Aotearoa New Zealand’s legal, political and popular culture. Readers will benefit from in-depth analyses of the Charter’s reception along with explorations of its roles in regard to larger constitutional themes.


The common thread that binds the collection together is its exploration of what the adoption of a medieval charter as part of New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements has meant – and might mean – for a Pacific nation whose identity remains in flux. The contributions to this volume are grouped around three topics: remembrance and memorialization of Magna Carta; the reception of the Charter by both Māori and non-Māori between 1840 and 2015; and reflection on the roles that the Charter may yet play in future constitutional debate. This collection provides evidence of the enduring attraction of Magna Carta, and its importance as a platform of constitutional aspiration.

• 'Rule of Law'
• Constitutionalism
• Māori
• Democracy
• Treaty of Waitangi

“Why does it matter to us in New Zealand what happened at Runnymede 800 years ago? This book is essential reading for those who want to know. The mythology that has grown around Magna Carta obscures its achievements and the influence it continues to exert. Its example is invoked in our own great Charter, the Treaty of Waitangi. This account of the continuing pull of Magna Carta in our society stimulates thinking about what matters.” (The Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias GNZM, Chief Justice of New Zealand)

“This collection from New Zealand scholars analysing the significance of Magna Carta more than 800 years after it came into being enriches our own sense of New Zealand’s constitutional history and suggests a need to take greater interest in our contemporary constitutional arrangements.” (The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer KCMG AC QC, former Prime Minister)

• University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

  Stephen Winter

• University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

  Chris Jones

Stephen Winter is Senior Lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. In 2015, he served as Deputy Chair of New Zealand’s Magna Carta 800 Commemorative Committee.


Chris Jones, is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. His research explores the history of political thought in the later Middle Ages. He has also published on the legacy of medieval and Early Modern Europe in New Zealand.

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