The Meeting Place - A New Zealand History Blog

The New Zealand Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Crown and various Maori groups between 1845 and 1872. Profoundly shaping the course and direction of our nation's history, the wars have been neglected, misrepresented and have had little hold on the popular imagination. Puawai Cairns (Te Papa) introducing the speakers  Today, however, interest in the wars is reviving, in part due to books like The New Zealand Wars | Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa published earlier this year by Bridget Williams Books. Mihingarangi Forbes interviews the historian Vincent O'Malley about the stories of wartime in front of an audience at Te Papa.   To listen to the full conversation, click here .

Join journalist Mihingarangi Forbes, and historian and author Vincent O'Malley, as they explore the ongoing impact of the New Zealand Wars. When: Sun 6 Oct 2019, 3.00pm–5.00pm Where: Rongomaraeroa (Te Marae), Level 4, Te Papa Cost: Free The New Zealand Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Crown and various Māori groups between 1845 and 1872. These wars profoundly shaped the course and direction of our nation’s history. The wars are an integral part of the New Zealand story but we have not always cared to remember or acknowledge them. Today, however, interest in the wars is resurgent. Join award-winning journalist Mihingarangi Forbes and acclaimed historian Vincent O'Malley (author of best-selling histories  The New Zealand Wars | Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa (link is external) and  The Great War for New Zealand (link is external) )...

Owning History How can we see where we’re going, if we don’t know where we’ve been? In his recent Michael King Memorial Lecture, historian Vincent O’Malley stressed the importance of teaching the bloody story of the New Zealand Wars in our schools, to understand today’s society, and recently gave historical context to the Ihumātao dispute in The Spinoff . Simon Winchester has spent his career bringing to life stories from the past, and Sacha McMeeking’s research interests lie in Māori futures, which are inextricably linked to history. Join them for a lively conversation about the importance of owning our history, the good and the bad, in order to look to the future. Chaired by Peter Field. Saturday 31 August, 1.00–2.00 p.m. The Piano Christchurch Tickets $20, available from WORD Christchurch .   Vincent O'Malley: The New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars profoundly shaped the course and direction of our nation’s history. Fought betwe...

From the New Zealand Listener , 25 May 2019 by Sally Blundell Calls are growing for us to take a more honest look at our past, particularly the wars over land and power that shaped the country.  It began with a single musket shot, fired perhaps by accident, in Wairau, near Nelson, in 1843. It ended with desultory gunfire in a steep and sodden gorge south of Waikaremoana in 1873.   Bookended by these two inglorious events, the New Zealand Wars claimed the lives of an estimated 2250 M ā ori and 560 British and colonial troops. Records are far from complete, but, including the wounded, the number of casualties could be more than 6000. The result was the transfer of nearly 1.5 million hectares of land into European hands, most commonly through the 1863 New Zealand Settlements Act. They changed the social, economic and political landscape forever.   Still, says Wellington historian Vincent O’Malley, we barely talk about it. Commemorations are few, ...

I will be discussing New Zealand Wars history at two sessions of the Marlborough Book Festival early next month, the first featuring a cruise of the Marlborough Sounds , departing from Picton, and the second at the main festival venue in Blenheim the following day. For both sessions I will be in conversation with local historian Ron Crosby, and discussing my most recent work, The New Zealand Wars/Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa as well as The Great War for New Zealand Session details: Our Heritage - in conversation with Ron Crosby 8.45am-12pm, Friday 5 July, MV Odyssea Cruise (departing Marlborough Tour Company - Town Wharf #5, Picton Marina 9am), $125  Come and cruise the beautiful Marlborough Sounds aboard Marlborough Tour Company's MV Odyssea. Enjoy brunch and gain insight into some of the lesser-known aspects of Aotearoa history, including the Wairau Afray, with Dr Vincent O’Malley in conversation with Marlborough-based historian Ron Crosby. The Ne...

The following extract from The New Zealand Wars/Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa first appeared in E-Tangata What historians and others have called the wars has changed over time. Why is this of interest? Do names really matter? Well, they do because they convey key messages about the nature of the wars, their causes and participants. For a long time, it was common to refer to this series of conflicts as “the Māori Wars”. That was consistent with the British tendency to name wars after their enemies; for instance, the Boer War, the Zulu War, or the Indian Mutiny. But there are some obvious problems with such a label. For a start, it tends to sheet home responsibility for the wars to Māori, rendering the other combatants invisible. In the 1960s, some historians tried to correct this by adopting the label “the Anglo–Māori Wars”. But this is also a problem, in that some Māori fought on the “Anglo” (that is, British or Crown) side. And given estimates that up to 40 per cent of ...

From the BWB webpage for my forthcoming new history of the New Zealand Wars: The New Zealand Wars were a series of conflicts that profoundly shaped the course and direction of our nation’s history. Fought between the Crown and various groups of Māori between 1845 and 1872, the wars touched many aspects of life in nineteenth century New Zealand, even in those regions spared actual fighting. Physical remnants or reminders from these conflicts and their aftermath can be found all over the country, whether in central Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, or in more rural locations such as Te Pōrere or Te Awamutu. The wars are an integral part of the New Zealand story but we have not always cared to remember or acknowledge them. Today, however, interest in the wars is resurgent. Public figures are calling for the wars to be taught in all schools and a national day of commemoration was recently established. Following on from the best-selling The Great War for New Zealand , ...