By 1855, most Maori still lived in a tribal setting, with little official Pakeha interference. This would have been as they expected, exercising their tino rangatiratanga, the chiefly rights guaranteed by the Treaty of Waitangi. However, their world was changing. In an effort to gain Pakeha goods, many Maori had entered the market economy. Most had converted to Christianity. Many could read and write. Some had sold land to accommodate the increasing numbers of Pakeha settlers. These trends gratified the government. It envisaged a New Zealand society dominated by Pakeha, in which European mores would be norm, and where its sovereignty, gained through the Treaty, would be substantive rather than nominal.
At this time, the government pursued the policy of iwi kotahi (one people) or "amalgamation". This policy included the aim of elevating Maori socially and economically by extending to them the benefits of European civilisation. It sought too to encourage Maori to give up their "waste" lands for Pakeha settlement and for Maori to accept the rule of English law, and government authority. Ultimately the two races would become one society- a Pakeha-style society. The government used newspapers for disseminating its message to Maori, publishing the bi-lingual Maori Messenger-Te Karere Maori from January 1855 to September 1863.
This thesis investigates the government�s newspaper, plus other Maori language newspapers appearing within the period, printed by government agents, evangelical Pakeha, the Wesleyan Church, and the rival Maori government, the Kingitanga. The thesis not only looks at the impact of newspapers upon Maori society and politics at this time, but also how the newspapers portrayed the major social and political issues to Maori, including the first Taranaki War, the Kohimarama Conference, and the impending all-out war with the Kingitanga in Waikato.
Using the newspapers as its major source, this thesis seeks to show how Maori might have understood the issues, and where possible, to allow them to respond in their own voices. We are fortunate that for almost a year the Kingitanga was able to publish its own views in Te Hokioi, thus allowing the anti-government Maori voice to articulate its stand. However, Maori opinion was hardly unitary. The Pakeha-run Maori language newspapers, through reports, reported speeches, and their corresponence columns, provide another set of Maori opinions, which show a variety of opinions on political and social issues. Many histories of this period focus on the tensions and conflicts between Crown and Maori, thus marginalising pro-government Maori, the waverers, and those who merely wanted to keep trouble from their door. This thesis endeavours to illuminate the whole colonial discourse as it appeared in the Maori language newspapers, providing as wide a range of opinions as possible.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/217530 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Paterson, Lachlan, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Otago. Te Tumu - School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://policy01.otago.ac.nz/policies/FMPro?-db=policies.fm&-format=viewpolicy.html&-lay=viewpolicy&-sortfield=Title&Type=Academic&-recid=33025&-find), Copyright Lachlan Paterson |
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