top of page

 OUR PLACE 150 
YEARS AGO 

Learning Intention:

 

To understand what the interactions were like between Māori and the first settlers to arrive after Māori in our place 150 years ago.

Activity:

 

1. Provocation

 

Tom Scott in this cartoon poses the question "How come NZ excels on the water in Yachting, Rowing, Kayaking, etc?"

 

He answers his own question by saying "Our Ancestral DNA!!!"

​

Both tangata whenua and tauiwi followed the same star paths to get to Aotearoa New Zealand, and both  demonstrated immense prowess in managing their craft to get here.

 

However, their experiences on meeting each other did not always reflect this equal mana.

 

The 'He Tohu' exhibition at The National Library has two videos which focus on what happened when the two peoples came together after the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. 

​

As a class discuss what these videos tell you about what was happening in New Zealand as the next group of settlers came to this land and began interacting with each other.

Thanks to He Tohu for the videos

2. What was it like in the late 1800s at our place?

 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi came into being in 1840. Following its signing a wave of migration began, particularly from England but also from other parts of Europe and the rest of the globe.

 

Te Ara - The New Zealand Encyclopedia states "When the treaty was signed in 1840 Māori were overwhelmingly dominant, and this may have contributed to the willingness of some chiefs to sign a partnership agreement with the Crown. Over the following decades, the Māori population declined while the number of non-Māori increased more than 10-fold. From the 1870s many non-Māori felt they could ignore the treaty, since Māori were no longer a significant political or economic force."

​

Start delving back into the archives and answer the following questions about the place in which your community lives.

 

  • What was the population of Māori and Tauiwi in your area in the late 1800s? 

  • Who owned the land in your area in the late1800s and how did those people come to own the land?

  • What were the main economic activities taking place in your area in the late 1800s and what were different people's roles in these activities?

  • What were relationships like between Māori and Tauiwi in your area in the late 1800s and what was contributing to the relationship being this way?  

bottom of page