Activity: practice essay
Using the features The origins of the King movement and Troubled times – the Maori King movement 1860–1894 and your own knowledge, answer the following essay question.
Achievement standard 3.4: examine a significant decision made by
people in history, in an essay
In the 19th century a number of significant decisions were made that affected New Zealanders. One such decision was the appointment of a Maori king.
Essay topic
What factors led to the decision to appoint Potatau Te Wherowhero as the first Maori King, in 1858? What were the consequences of this decision for Maori and Pakeha?
Consider the following when writing your essay:
Context could include:
- The growth of the Pakeha population in 1858 surpassed the Maori population by 3000.
- The polarisation of the races was more pronounced.
- There was increasing apprehension about Pakeha settlement.
Contributing factors could include:
- problems between the races, e.g., settler attitudes towards Maori, erosion of Maori sovereignty in New Zealand
- problems with land sales and the means by which land was gained
- process in selecting a suitable candidate as king.
Consequences could include:
- Maori assertion of sovereignty
- unfavourable response from settlers and government to the assertion of Maori authority
- Maori becoming united over issues, e.g., Waikato Maori helped Taranaki Maori during Taranaki War
- Waikato War
- land confiscations (Raupatu).
Include some judgements of historical narratives and historiography:
- Some thought the Kingitanga was a positive Maori response to rapid colonisation – an attempt to stem the tide of European colonisation by uniting tribes into an anti-land selling confederation and an attempt to forge a nation within a nation.
- Others saw it as a threat to the supremacy of the British Queen.
- European colonisation had created a sense of Maoriness, making it possible for Maori to think beyond their tribal affiliations.
- The Kingitanga was not a radical change in the North Island; it was not a declaration of Maori independence because this already existed.
Support your content with good structure. Remember:
Introduction – write an opening paragraph that:
- identifies the decision you have chosen to examine
- introduces your argument about the significance of this decision.
Body – write structured and sequenced paragraphs that:
- describe the significant decision made by people and the historical context in which they made that decision
- describe and explain factors that contributed to this decision
- evaluate the consequences of this decision
- describe and evaluate views of this decision by contemporary commentators and/or historians.
Conclusion – write a concluding paragraph that sums up your main ideas and argument and links them back to the focus of the essay.
You should aim to write about 800–1000 words.
For more detail on this achievement standard and criteria, open this Word document from the NZQA site.
