Pre-1840 contact activities - NCEA Level 3 history

New Zealand in the 19th century

Pre-1840 contact

Related links on NZHistory.net.nz

• Exploration
• Sealers and whalers
• A frontier of chaos?
• Go-betweens
• Missionaries  
• Taming the frontier  

Topics include:

• Polynesian and European exploration
• the nature and impact of the sealing and whaling industries
• an examination of pre-1840 contact through case studies including the Boyd incident, Captain Stewart and the Elizabeth and the Harriet affair
• the role of intermediaries (kaiwhakarite) who acted as 'go-betweens'
• the aims of the different Christian missions, their impact on Maori and their role in the British decision to offer Maori a Treaty in 1840
• the appointment of a British Resident
• The Declaration of Independence.

This period is often referred to as the race relations apprenticeship, and the people and events of this period are an important part of the NCEA history Level 3 broad survey of 19th-century New Zealand.

Several high-profile incidents in the period before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 gave the impression of poor relations between Maori and Pakeha. The British Resident from 1833, James Busby, painted a picture of 'extreme frontier chaos'. The impact on Maori of contact with Pakeha before 1840 was a significant issue in the 19th century.

Taming this 'frontier of chaos' became a concern of groups like the Christian missionaries, after 1814, and of men such as James Busby. More is known of their views and efforts because they took the time to record their experiences while many other Europeans who were in daily contact with Maori did not. These other Europeans, sometimes known as intermediaries, were important in contact between Maori and Europeans in the period before the Treaty.

These features provide students with a context to explore this period, either as individual case studies or as part of a larger study. They are ideal preparation for:

• Achievement standard 3.4: Examine a significant decision made by people in history, in an essay.
• Achievement standard 3.5: Examine a significant historical situation in the context of change, in an essay.
• Achievement standard 3.3: There are numerous excellent historical sources relating to missionaries and their activities that can be used as practice for final assessment.

A range of activities to support this study can be found in the navigation to the immediate right.