Maori > Maori - History

The Maori warrior in New Zealand first came to prominence during the land wars of the 19th Century. During these conflicts, they were known as fierce opponents, as well as courageous allies. Subsequently, and especially based on the Treaty of Waitangi, the Maori felt that they owed special allegiance to the Queen, to the extent that they volunteered to serve during the wars in South Africa and the Sudan, and they were eventually accepted as a key part of New Zealand's contribution to the Great War of 1914-18. At the outbreak... read more

This valuable regional history encompasses myths and legends, the succession of tribes who have inhabited Te Tau Ihu o TeWaka a Maui and their interactions, early encounters with Europeans, the arrival of the New Zealand Company, the treaty of Waitangi, land transactions, and the administrations of Maori reserves. Reprint September 2005.

Museum collections are a treasure trove of objects, each with the capacity to tell a compelling story or stories. Many objects in Te Manawa's collection speak of a deep curiosity for the world 'out there and beyond', while others evoke an intense sense of belonging to the Manawatu. Significant insight about both local communities, and the broader national story, can be gleaned from objects such as a fragile kahu kiwi; a sleek handmade wooden kayak; the clumsy industrial design of an early portable computer; a simple child's Christm... read more

Natanahira Waruwarutu was a child at the time of the capture of Kaiapoi Pa by Te Rauparaha's Ngati Toa warriors in 1832. The early years of his life, recounted here in the original Maori text and an accompanying translation, saw great change in the Maori communities of Waitaha (Canterbury) and Akaora. Otako leaders set aside Moeraki, further south, for Kaiapoi refugees and Waruwarutu moved between the two places until he died in 1895. Before his death, he passed on to scribe Thomas Green, himself a Ngai Tahu elder, a substantial ... read more

For the first time the world of the tohunga, which has lain carefully concealed for centuries, is brought out into the open. Kereopa's knowledge of the traditional Maori world, and his thoughtful perspectives on subject matters ranging from natural healing to modern life, offer an insight into the realm of a great tohunga.

Breaks new ground in telling the fascinating story of the Maori Battalion's war, with the focus firmly on C Company whose members were drawn from Tairawhiti, a region on the east coast of the North Island. Personal recollections and eyewitness accounts, many anecdotes and hundreds of photographs are woven through this history, from the inception of C Company in 1939 to the return of it's last members in 1946. First published October 2008.

In this remarkable sequel to his ground-breaking Tohunga: Hohepa Kereopa (2003), historian Dr Paul Moon again travels deep into Tuhoe territory - and deep into its past - to uncover a wealth of material. This time he reveals his discussions with Hohepa Kereopa on traditional plants, cultivation, gardening, foods, medicines, and other aspects of the natural Maori world. This book is indispensable for anyone with an interest in customary Maori life, and provides a unique perspective on the work of a great tohunga at the height of his powers.

Parihaka has become a byword for Maori refusal to yield land, culture and dignity to New Zealand's colonial government. Well after the end of the New Zealand Wars, the people of this small settlement at the foot of Mt Taranaki held out against the encroachments of Pakeha settlers in a struggle that swapped the weapons of war for the weapons of peace. Taking as their symbol the white feather, the chiefs Te Whiti and Tohu led Parihaka in one of the world's first-recorded campaigns of passive resistance. Maori ploughmen wrote its mess... read more

Waka Taua gives a concise introduction to the Maori war canoe. Key areas covered by the book include waka traditions, types and variants of the canoe, phases of building, parts of the waka, responsibilities of the crew and paddling the craft. With numerous historical and contemporary photographs and drawings, Waka Taua is an easily-read tribute to this timeless expression of tribal identity and power.

Renowned historian Michael King (1945-2004) presents a comprehensive and searching documentary of Maori culture and society, and Maori-Pakeha contact, conflict and co-operation. From the earliest daguerreotype around 1852 to the strong protest images of the 1990s, King records and analyses changes and upheaval in the commentary that is always intelligent and objective. This book leaves the reader with not only a better understanding of the past but a challenge for the future. This edition reprinted 2008

A photo album doesn't tell the whole story of a family, and this book doesn't tell the whole story of Parihaka. Rather, it is a collection of snapshots, a patchwork quilt, a scrapbook. "The Parihaka Album: Lest We Forget" blends the personal and the historical. It tracks the author Rachel Buchanan's discovery of her family's links with Parihaka and her Maori and Pakeha ancestors' roles in the early days of the city that is now Parihaka.

Arranged alphabetically for easy reference, the text summarises all important elements, influences and features of pre-European Maori life.

'So they went forth, and they were given over to death by the guns.' - Rangipito, of Ngati Rahiri. In the two decades before the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand was ripped asunder by island-spanning waves of warfare, extreme violence and cannibalism. Great war parties surged the length of the land to avenge historic grievances, killing and burning as they went. Whole peoples were uprooted and found new homes. Despite the name given them by history, one thing we can be certain about is that these dramatic conflicts were not ... read more

In the traditional Maori world the moko, or facial or body tattoo, was part of everyday life; everyone had some patterning on their skin. Men wore elaborate designs on their faces; women's were usually less complex but elegant, and both sexes had extensive body work. After almost dying out in the twentieth century, Maori skin art is now experiencing a powerful revival, with many young urban Maori displaying the moko as a spectacular gesture of ethnic pride and identity. This hugely popular and magnificently illustrated book, compil... read more

This book traces Maori engagement with handwriting from 1769 to 1826. Through beautifully reproduced written documents, it describes the first encounters Maori had with paper and writing and the first relationships between Maori and Europeans in the earliest school. The book tells an image-led story about the earliest relationships between Maori and Pakeha based around the written word and sheds light on a larger story of the first attempts of Maori and Europeans to live together in the early 1800s, the negotiation of the r... read more

The place of the Treaty of Waitangi in public policy has undergone radical changes over the past few decades in response to debates on the role of the Treaty in New Zealand's development. In this publication, the foremost Maori thinkers provide insights on the current place of the Treaty, the challenges faced and possibilities for future development.

The Meeting Place is an examination of relationships between Maori and Pakeha focusing predominantly on the period between 1814 and 1840 when, author Vincent O'Malley argues, both peoples lived / inhabited a 'middle ground' - in the historian's Richard White's phrase - in which neither could dictate the political, economic or cultural rules. O'Malley begins by introducing readers to pre-1814 encounters between Maori and European from Tasman and Cook to sealers and whalers. He then provides a thematic analysis of the 1814 to 1840 pe... read more

The essential reference work on Maori voyaging canoes. Collects all published information on the topic into one volume. An essential item for libraries of New Zealand history.Attractive design with maps for easy reference.Includes special sections on Maui’s and Rata’s waka. Finally back in print after more than five years, this is the essential reference work to the traditions of Maori canoes that voyaged to New Zealand – including lists of the waka, name... read more

The first paperback edition of this classic A.W. Reed title remains true to the original vision - to create a highly accessible reference to the traditional life and customs of Maori. Taonga Tuku Iho translates to "treasures from the past that have been handed down to us". This superb resource of information about early Maori is now available to a wider audience. Originally published in 1963 (and reprinted every two to three years until the early 1980s), with a second edition published in 2002, the book has been edited and updated ... read more

A call by an indigenous researcher for the decolonizing of research methods, which critically examines the historical and philosophical base of Western research. The book provides a literature which validates frustrations with various Western paradigms, academic traditions and methodologies.