Pages tagged with: maori

Information about some of the key people who have featured in the story of the Treaty of Waitangi

In May 2008 Maori gathered at Ngaruawahia to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Kingitanga, or Maori King movement. The current king, Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki, was crowned in August 2006, following the death of his mother, Dame Te Atairangikaahu.

The pressure to sell land was a key factor in the creation of the Kingitanga. Before European settlement Maori could not sell land and few chiefs had the mana or authority to gift land. But by the late 1840s secret deals with government officials were occurring.

How Maori responded in the early contact period was determined by well-established customs and practices.

The Kingitanga has often been described as a Waikato initiative, yet its origins can be traced to Otaki on the Kapiti coast.

Potatau set a boundary separating his authority from that of the governor: 'Let Maungatautari be our boundary. Do not encroach on this side. Likewise I am not to set a foot on that side.'

For low-paid workers and beneficiaries, making ends meet has always been a constant struggle.  Life can be even tougher for those without a home of their own.

Despite all the talk of the 'birth of a nation', the place of the Treaty of Waitangi or Maori in the centennial celebrations was less obvious.

The fall and rise of Maori seats in the 20th century

There were considerable tensions between the Americans and Maori, so strenuous efforts were made to build inter-racial bridges. Princess Te Puea arranged a series of visits to Ngaruawahia in the Waikato, and the Americans were also welcomed by Ngati Poneke Young Maori Club in Wellington and on to a marae in Gisborne.

An unidentified Maori man with a moko (facial tattoo)

Maori men and women congregate outside the Rotorua courthouse on election day, possibly in 1908.

A Maori polling booth at Te Whaiti, Urewera

'So that women may receive the vote' by Meri Mangakahia (1893)

Panorama of the Maori Affairs Committee Room/Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga. Includes commentary by Wiremu Haunui, Kaiwhakamarama Reo for the Office of the Clerk