Table of Contents
How were the Maori treated by the British in New Zealand?
The British preferred a peaceful arrangement to taking control of New Zealand by force, and the queen’s government offered the Maori chiefs its support and all privileges as the queen’s subjects. This was the Treaty of Waitangi, signed by 46 Maori chiefs on February 6, 1840.
What did the British do to the Māori?
Loss of land Loss of Māori land – through confiscation following the 1860s wars, Crown purchase and the Native Land Court – led to the displacement of large numbers of Māori. Deprived of their land, tribes were in many instances reduced to poverty, with no option but to live in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.
How did Māori discover New Zealand?
When did Maori first arrive in New Zealand? According to Māori, the first explorer to reach New Zealand was Kupe. Using the stars and ocean currents as his navigational guides, he ventured across the Pacific on his waka hourua (voyaging canoe) from his ancestral Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki.
What did Māori bring to NZ?
These plants were brought from Polynesia by the ancestors of Māori when they arrived in New Zealand from around 1250–1300 AD. Other food crops, such as arrowroot, banana, breadfruit, coconut and sugar cane, may also have arrived on the voyaging canoes, but could not be grown in the new country’s cooler climate.
When did the Maori get most of their land?
Before the Treaty was signed, Māori still held most of the land in New Zealand. But between 1840 and 1900, Māori were alienated from most of the whenua. By 1870 almost the entire South Island had been taken by the Crown, and by the early 1900s most of the North Island had too. By 1920, around 8% of New Zealand land remained in Māori ownership.
What was the Maori way of communicating with each other?
Māori passed on rich and detailed history and legends orally. Society was organised around groups that traced their descent from common ancestors. Reciting whakapapa (genealogies) was an important way to communicate knowledge.
Why did the Crown confiscate land from Maori?
In reaction to the Kingitanga movement, the Crown began to confiscate more Māori land. Under the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863, the Crown could confiscate the land of any iwi ‘engaged in rebellion’ against the government.
Where did the Moriori tribe live in New Zealand?
While Māori lived throughout the North and South Islands, the Moriori, another Polynesian tribe, lived on the Chatham Islands, nearly 900 kilometres east of Christchurch. Moriori are believed to have migrated to the Chathams from the South Island of New Zealand. In the late 18th century, there were about 2000 Moriori living on the Chathams.