Māori Land After the Wars
As Māori throughout New Zealand returned to their villages and cultivations in order to once again secure themselves socially and, more critically, economically, the government embarked upon its vigorous legislative programme to change the nature of Māori land holdings.
Māori land was to be changed from communal title – owned by everyone – to individual title – owned by one person. ‘One-person’ ownership meant that land could be more readily sold, which was the government’s intention.
The change in title was made possible through legislation – the Native Lands Act 1862. This Act started the long process of converting Māori customary from communal title to individual title. Land could then be traded by Māori as if it were a commodity, or so the government said.
This Act was amended in 1865, three years later, by introducing a Native Land Court which would function for a century or more, earning the nickname ‘engine of destruction’. Māori generally resented the existence of the Court and tried hard to boycott its operations.
Land Confiscations
In December 1862, five months after the invasion of the Waikato had been launched by Governor George Grey, the New Zealand government enacted legislation aimed at confiscating Māori land. The Act – the New Zealand Settlements Act – was aimed primarily at the tribes of the Waikato who were to be punished for ‘rebelling’ against the government. However, the Act was later applied to other tribal districts, especially Taranaki, Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.
The land confiscations devastated those tribal areas affected. A total of 3,490,737 acres was ultimately confiscated. The largest of the tribal district confiscations was Taranaki at 1,244,300 acres, followed by the Waikato with 1,217,300 acres lost in this way.
Further reading: David V Williams, Te Kooti Tango Whenua The Native Land Court 1864-1909, Huia Publishers, Wellington, 1999; Alan Ward, An Unsettled History Treaty Claims in New Zealand Today, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 1999, see especially pp. 125-148; Richard Boast, Buying the Land Selling the Land Govt and Māori Land in the North Island 1865-1921, Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2008.