This section provides some background reflections as to the nature of Māori history, a subject of much discussion even amongst Māori historians. How Māori history is – or should be – used, framed, represented and researched is also discussed, with reference made to a number of Māori historians of the wars.
Historiography - or 'what historians argue' - a case study in historiography: the naming the 'New Zealand Wars' The 'New Zealand Wars' are known by various names. This essay below is brief and introductory - for a much fuller essay, with all references...
Many historians have written about the New Zealand Wars; and most have done a fine job of their research and publications. The New Zealand Wars literature, as a result, is quite extensive. You can read about some of these publications, and how they have contributed to...
Land, Culture and History Interwoven 'Māori history' can be defined in many different ways - it depends on which historian you are talking to, and whether that historian is Māori or not. In this book, Huia Histories of Māori. Ngā Tāhuhu Kōrero, Danny Keenan has...
The paepae is the place on the marae where elders stand, to deliver their speeches and, as it so happens, their versions of history. Speeches are an oral process of course. How do kaumātua bring to mind such histories, on such occasions? During the 1990s, the...
Te Pouhere Korero - 30 years old In 1992, a small group of Māori interested in Māori history established Te Pouhere Korero, which functioned as a network of Māori historians, or at least, Māori interested in history. That means Te Pouhere Korero was 30 years old in...
The 1990 Sesquentenary year was also a good year for the writing of histories. In 1990, for example, the Australian government presented $1 million to establish a South Pacific oral history archive as a sesquentennial gift. The first volume of the Dictionary of New...
It's a shame that 28 October has been chosen as the new New Zealand Wars Day. This is because the day has nothing to do with the New Zealand Wars. A gathering of tribal leaders has decided that commemorations on 28 October will begin next year, 2017. But why has this...
Recent moves to change the language on century-old monuments in Whanganui have been antagonising some local people. Plans to 'update' colonial descriptions of Māori have been ridiculed in the local press. Words like fanaticism and barbarism are due to be qualified,...