Frontier of chaos? - Maori-Pakeha contact pre-1840

Introduction

In the years before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, relations between Maori and Europeans were marred by a number of high-profile incidents. In his capacity as official British Resident in the Bay of Islands from 1833, James Busby painted a picture of an 'extreme frontier chaos'. Contemporary accounts highlight the seemingly contradictory nature of contact in this period. Some Europeans emphasised what they saw as Maori savagery and treachery. Others, including missionaries, highlighted the vulnerability of Maori and argued that official intervention would stabilise the situation and establish normal relations.

The impact on Maori of contact with Europeans before 1840 was a significant issue in 19th-century New Zealand. Contact with Europeans, while increasing, was still rare and by the early 1830s there were perhaps only a couple of hundred permanent European residents in New Zealand. Attention was given to incidents of violence between the races, but events like those explored in this feature were newsworthy because they were the exception rather than the rule.

By Steve Watters