Maori leadership activities - NCEA Level 3 history

Maori leadership in the 19th century

Related features in NZHistory.net.nz

• The origins of the Maori King movement
• The Maori King movement 1860–1894
• Pai Marire 

Topics include:

• the origins of the King movement
• the search for a King
• the land issue
• troubled times: the build up to war
• the invasion of the Waikato
• maintaining the Kingitanga
• Pai Marire
• the death of Carl Völkner
• war on the Whanganui.

The 19th century was a period of great change for Maori. Traditional forms of leadership and politics were placed under immense pressure. New leaders and styles of leadership emerged in the face of European colonisation. Attempts to create pan-tribal movements were met with resistance by some iwi as well as by Europeans.

This and the related features examine the process of Britain's colonisation of New Zealand and the Maori response to it. They examine some of the key ideas that underpin the NCEA history Level 3 broad survey of New Zealand in the 19th century. People living in New Zealand at this time were faced with significant decisions to make, and their situation was greatly influenced by a number of major forces, including:

• nationalism
• imperialism
• colonisation
• religion
• racism
• war
• colonialism
• sovereignty.

The Kingitanga, or Maori King movement, is an important and enduring expression of Maori unity. While, today, it holds an established place in New Zealand society, this has not always been the case. The establishment of the Kingitanga, the appointment of the first king in 1858 and the response to its formation are critical elements in the broad survey of 19th-century New Zealand.

In the Waikato War of the 1860s the government attempted to destroy the movement, which it considered a threat to the authority of the British Crown. In the aftermath of the war, the confiscation of land and operation of the Native Land Court transformed New Zealand from a Maori world to a European one. However, the Kingitanga showed great resilience in surviving this turmoil, and it emerged from a period of isolation in the closing decade of the 19th century.

This feature provides students with a context to prepare 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.

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