The Meeting Place - A New Zealand History Blog

Produced by Great Southern Television for RNZ, Stories of Waitara was released on the Rā Maumahara marked on the 28th October this year at Ōwae Marae in Taranaki. Created and presented by Mihingarangi Forbes, it follows on from the award-winning Stories of Ruapekapeka and tells the stories of the first Taranaki War of 1860-61, drawing on Te Ātiawa tribal historians and experts and with input from me.   It also features a series of extended interviews and other clips. Here is the full sit-down interview with me. And some further scenes visiting various monuments and memorials connected with the wars and reflecting on what they tell us about how this history has been remembered within Taranaki.

The Education Gazette asked me to comment on the recent announcement that New Zealand history will soon be taught in all schools. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The announcement that New Zealand’s histories will be taught in all schools by 2022 is a crucial step in ensuring future generations leave school with at least some level of understanding of our nation’s past – including “the good, the bad, and the ugly”, as Rahui Papa of Waikato-Tainui said at the time. But it also opens up important discussions around what exactly should be taught and how. For me, a vital first principle is that iwi and hapū are at the forefront of those conversations. Connecting with mana whenua history will empower rangatahi to better understand the places they call home. Speaking to students at Otago Girls' High School, October 2019 Begin close to home Students should be encouraged to engage with the histories of their own communities, but without forgetting the wider context. Ra...

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...