New Zealand in the 19th Century

The Official Version

One Hundred Crowded Years, 1940 Govt. sponsored film production.

This excerpt shows colonials as “hard working and civilised”. It was designed to mark 100 years since the Treaty of Waitangi was signed..

Suggested discussion questions:

1. How are the different races presented?
2. What is the purpose of this film?
3. What questions should we ask of it as a source?
4. What kind of identity is it perpetuating?
5. Whose perspective is being represented? What effect does that have?

Things to note when watching -

• Read the dedication at the beginning of the clip. What does it suggest about approaches to NZ history in 1940?
• How is Wakefield presented?
• What is suggested about Hobson's intentions?


• How is the section on the Treaty of Waitangi presented?
• What articles of the Treaty are focused on?
• What Maori opinions/voices do we hear?
• What does this suggest about the way history has been learned in New Zealand?


• How are the settlers portrayed?
• What kind of people are they?
• How does the film suggest the settlers deserve the land etc.?
• What gender roles are reinforced?


• How are Maori war preparations presented?
• Is there any discussion of their motive?
• The Maori burn 'Tom and Mary's' cabin. What is this meant to suggest?
• The wars are seen as purely aggressive on the Maori behalf and defensive on the Pakeha.


• The Gold rush is described as providing 'the riches that hardship would reward'. What is this telling us about how NZ identity has developed?
• Why is refrigeration seen as 'the most important event in 100 years'?

Heartlands

This excerpt could be used early in the course when discussing the early Maori arrivals to New Zealand. While the content is not essential for the NCEA course, it provides an interesting discussion about how early Maori interacted with the environment.

Suggested discussion questions:

1. How did early Maori use their environment?
2. How does this excerpt challenge some people’s assumptions about how Maori interacted with the land?
3. What does the way early Maori interacted with the land and natural resources reveal to us about the kind of people they were?

Contact

The Whalers
What Lies Beneath: In Search of the Good Keen Whalers (extracts)

This clip gives a good insight into the daily lives of early whalers. For the purposes of the course, the clip also discusses the co-operation between Maori and Pakeha in the whaling industry. This gives the teacher an excellent opportunity to discuss the idea of Maori agency.

Suggested discussion questions:

1. How did Maori interact with the early whaling communities according to this clip?
2. How does this kind of interaction support the idea that Maori were agents of their own change?

Pakeha Maori
Pakeha Maori (extracts)

Use this extract when discussing the idea of New Zealand being a Maori dominated society where early settlers had to rely on Maori patronage and respect Maori protocol to survive. There are a number of case studies in this extract that offer the viewer the opportunity to learn about how a range of unique Pakeha individuals participated in Maori society.

Christianity
Day One: Maori Spirituality

This is a documentary that explores the relationship between Maori spirituality and Christianity. The extracts offer varying perspectives on Maori conversion and missionary motives.

Suggested discussion questions:

1. What kind of different perspectives about Maori conversion and interaction with missionary movements are communicated in this extract?
2. What do these different perspectives tell us about the relationship between Maori and Christianity?

Conflict

Raupatu - the Loss of Land
Koha: Raupatu - the Loss of Land: Part 1/2 extracts

Use these clips as a catalyst for discussions about how Maori lost their land. In particular, compare the impact of war and law. Initiate discussion about the impact of collaborating with the legal system as opposed to resisting it.

These are very good extracts that succinctly summarise the key ways in which Maori lost the land and are excellent as summaries or introductions to the conflict part of the course.

Parihaka
Koha: Parihaka

This powerful extract is an excellent overview of Parihaka.

Suggested discussion questions:

1. Do you think that the Parihaka resistance movement was successful? In what ways was it successful & unsuccessful?
2. What does Te Whiti and Tohu’s approach at Parihaka illustrate about the changing nature of Maori resistance?

People

These are short extracts that introduce key characters in New Zealand’s history. Use them as lesson starters or to illustrate a personality you are introducing.

Te Pahi
Hongi Hika
Hone Heke
Samuel Marsden
Te Rauparaha
William Hobson
George Grey
Te Kooti
Te Whiti