Maori Long Essay Student: 1448783 Evan Cooper Essay Question: Describe Mori enterprise during the early

contact period and comment on the impact of colonisation on the Mori economy. Give a detailed example. In 1800, Mori faced an exciting new world. Early contact with the Europeans exposed and provided new technologies and hence, new economic opportunities for them. By 1900, the impacts of colonisation had devastated Mori society and the Mori economy, almost beyond repair. Prior to early contact and significant colonisation, the Mori economy was one predominantly characterised by subsistence level production, concepts of tikanga (cultural procedures) Mori, and communal ownership . Based on the current status of Mori people economically, the impact of colonisation on the Mori economy has proven to be largely negative, with Mori social statistics today lagging far behind those of non-Mori at all socio-economic levels. European contact, the subsequent colonisation of New Zealand and its effects on the Mori economy can be defined in four distinct phases. The early contact period, the colonisation period, the 50 year period after the defeat of the Kngitanga, and the Mori renaissance. Each of these periods brought with themselves their own distinct effects on Mori people, and hence their economic wellbeing.

Abel Tasman, a Dutch sailor had discovered New Zealand and made first contact with the Mori in 1642, though this was a short lived visitation and had near no impact on the Mori economy at the time. In 1769 an English sailor, Captain James Cook, sighted New Zealand. He documented his journey on the Endeavour in personal journals, providing insight to the plentiful, untapped resources this new land possessed, as well as the indigenous peoples which inhabited it. Captain Cooks reports of a new land, and its plentiful resources; such as timber and flax for ships, prompted a huge number of sealers and whalers, looking to exploit these uncontested resources, to immigrate to New Zealand.

The first recorded sealers arrived in the Doubtful Sounds in 1792 and were predominantly gangs of ex-convicts from Sydney (Sealers and Whalers - pre 1840 contact unknown). Seal pelts were sold in China and Britain, predominantly used to make waterproof clothing. The sealers effects on the Mori economy were not as significant or beneficial for Mori as the whaling industrys. They engaged much less in trading with Mori, requiring only their own tools (Sealers and Whalers - pre 1840 contact unknown). They were viewed predominantly as thieves by iwi (tribes), hugely devastating the population of seals in New Zealand, whilst providing little in return for Mori economically (Sealers and Whalers - pre 1840 contact unknown).

Whalers on the other hand provided many economic opportunities for Mori, through trading, technological benefits and employment. Whale oil was highly valuable as a lubricant for machinery among other uses. Kororreka provided a hub for deep sea whalers from 1799, providing local hap (clans) in the area with many economic opportunities. For their long term voyages, whalers required many goods and services, including but not limited to fresh water and food, as well as crewman, which the Mori provided for them in exchange for goods such as potatoes, alcohol, tobacco, pigs, blankets and iron tools. Services such as prostitution were often traded by Mori for European resources as well, the adoption of short term wives by whalers was also common (Sealers and Whalers - pre 1840 contact unknown), this proved to have huge implications on the Mori economy due to the huge spread of venereal disease causing infertility and death. Mori timber was very highly sought after in ship building and maintenance, deep sea whalers and shore whalers both required timber and flax ropes to maintain their whaling vessels, and traders exported huge amounts of timber (mainly kauri (a large forest tree) and ttara (a large forest tree))

for mast production and flax ropes for use in the shipping industry (Sealers and Whalers pre 1840 contact unknown).

Coupled with the influx of sealers and whalers, a large number of missionaries immigrated, whom felt it their Christian duty to convert the uncivilised indigenous Mori, religiously and therefore culturally. Many missionaries resorted to trading in order to obtain financial security and hence goods and services to survive (Missionary Influence and the Maori Reaction 2009). Some Mori such as Hongi Hika, the rangatira (chief) of the Ng Puhi iwi, utilised missionaries (such as Thomas Kendall) and their ability to provide Western resources in order to obtain weapons and hence mana, the most sought after weapon was the musket (Thomas Kendall with Hongi Hika unknown). The demand for muskets was so strong that Hongi Hika, whilst in England in 1820, traded land in Hokianga for an estimated 500 muskets with Baron Charles de Thierry of France. Hongi Hika used this advantage in military power to acquire lands from other iwi and hap to the south, and hence resources, growing his iwis economy. Becoming economically superior to other iwi provided a means for Hongi Hika to acquire mana (inherited status) (The Musket Wars unknown).

Prior to the early contact with the Europeans, the Mori economy was predominantly based around the concepts of subsistence and utu (reciprocity). Hap produced enough resources to satisfy their own operational requirements, and on some occasions, hap would produce enough resources to trade with other hap and iwi to satisfy utu, and sometimes in order to practice manaaki (to take care of). The arrival of sealers, whalers and traders presented a new technological and economic potential for Mori, whom quickly adopted the concept of profit through trading with Pkeh. Financial and material benefits

from trading with the early colonists allowed Mori to further community, culture and their economic positions (Sealers and Whalers - pre 1840 contact unknown).

Prior to 1820, the Musket Wars and a huge spread of venereal diseases, resulting in infertility and death, the Mori economy had largely benefited from early contact with Europeans (Thomas Kendall with Hongi Hika unknown). By the end of the early contact period, the Mori economy had shifted from a largely subsistence, autonomous economy, to a market based economy, specialising in production in order to profit from the European demand for goods and services, sometimes, to the point where hap were deprived of essential resources, due to over specialisation.

The Musket Wars resulted in an endless cycle of utu between iwi, causing seemingly endless retaliations, in an attempt to restore ea (balance). Iwi such as Ng Puhi, were acquiring muskets to defend themselves, causing a huge decline in the Mori population, from over 200,000 in 1780, to around 56,000 by 1858. Prior to the Musket Wars, war between iwi was predominantly non-lethal (The Musket Wars unknown).

This drastic population decline was not only caused by warfare, but also by the introduction of infectious diseases (against which Mori had no immunity). War coupled with a huge decline in birth rates (due to venereal diseases causing infertility) and deaths caused by the introduction of new diseases such as influenza and syphilis all contributed to the drastic decrease in population. The implications of a hugely devastated population size on the Mori economy was massive, shrinking the size of their economy by decreasing the working Mori population and hence their power to produce and make profit. This not only

had an effect on the Mori economy in the short term, but also had huge implications for the future of the Mori economy and culture through religious means (Missionary Influence and the Maori Reaction 2009).

The Mori population and hence the Mori economy had been devastated, largely by plague and pestilence. Mori saw Pkeh as severely less effected (of course due to acquired immunity) by an invisible, seemingly divine punishment. Assuming this was the wrath of a divine being deprived of indigenous followers, many Mori openly adopted Christianity and its creation narrative (Missionary Influence and the Maori Reaction 2009). This had huge implications for Mori, causing a huge loss of culture. The Mori creation narrative acted as the foundation from which tikanga Mori and hence culture was built. This shift of religion and hence culture, paved the way for a new era. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February the 6th 1840 and the colonisation of New Zealand, Mori culture and hence the economy, began to rapidly increase in momentum (Treaty Events 185099 2009).

While the early contact period from 1800 to 1840 saw a more passive adoption of European economics, religion and culture, the subsequent period between 1840 and 1900, ushered in a new age of more forceful, active colonisation of land and Mori through religion and the Crowns use of governance. Following the Treaty of Waitangi, the New Zealand Land Company occupied huge amounts of land to sell to immigrants, forcefully colonising land against local Moris will (Kngitanga - The Mori Monarchy unknown).

The Kngitanga was formed as attempt to amalgamate Mori interests and people in order to combat loss of land and culture, as well as government approved acts such as the Nat-

ive Land Act of 1962. In 1858 a Mori chief, Te Wherowhero of Ngti Mahuta was selected as a monarch, reluctantly, in order for Mori to have a voice against European interest (Kngitanga - The Mori Monarchy unknown). The Crown perceived this movement as a Mori rebellion against European authority, which according to the English version of the Treaty of Waitangi, had been signed over to Pkeh. There was a definitive difference between Mori and Pkeh interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Pkeh translation assured the Crown full sovereignty and government over Mori, whilst the Mori translation assured their own sovereignty (Treaty Events 1850-99 2009). These differences led to prolonged wars between the Government and the Kngitanga movement from 18601900, ending in the overthrowing of the Kngitangi, allowing huge amounts of further land to easily be confiscated (Kngitanga - The Mori Monarchy unknown).

In 1862 the government introduced a new act called the Native Land Act, essentially individualising land and requiring Mori to prove their ownership over land to the Crown . If Mori were not able to provide enough evidence to support their claim, the land would come under Crown ownership and subject to claim by Pkeh. Many Mori who were able to prove their ownership of land, were so financially ruined by this process, they were forced to sell their land to cover the legal costs (Treaty Events 1850-99 2009).

The implementation of the Native Land Act of 1862 and the failure and downfall of the Kngitanga movement (Kngitanga - The Mori Monarchy unknown), resulted in a huge loss of Mori land and culture, hugely effecting the economy by further reducing their access to land and hence resources, and destroying Mori community structure by require individualisation of land titles (Treaty Events 1850-99 2009). The psychological oppression and effects of the collapse of Mori society and the economy through loss of culture and land

hugely devastated the Mori psyche and economy, leading to an economic dark age for Mori.

The third era, the period of time from 1900-1950 ushered in a dark age for Mori. The Mori economy was a hugely financially deprived one. With dwindling occupational opportunities for Mori and a huge reduction in European demand for Mori goods and services, most Mori people were left in a position of financial deprivation. Native schools further oppressed Mori, punishing Mori children for speaking their native tongue (A History of the Maori Language unknown). The loss of community through individualisation of title due to the Native Lands Act, huge decreases in Mori language due to native schools, as well as a further decline in the Mori population and land due to WWI, WWII and further land confiscation, almost resulted in a total loss of Mori culture and language (Treaty Events 185099 2009). This destroyed Mori community, the backbone behind previous Mori production and economic power. During this fifty year period, Mori slipped into positions of further economic deprivation and little was done by European society to address these problems (Story 6 - Mori-Pkeh relations 2010). Prior to early contact with European explorers and colonists, Mori iwi and hap primarily produced enough resources to satisfy their own operational needs, and occasionally to satisfy utu and to practice manaaki. Early colonists provided Mori with huge economic potential, causing many iwi to specialise in production. This resulted in a boom of the Mori economy until around 1850, where a huge decrease in the Mori population devastated the economy. The effects of land confiscation and the collapse of the Mori economy had lasting effects through the first half of the twenty-first century. The most recent era, the time period from 1950 through to the present, termed by some as the Mori Renaissance (due to a relatively successful effort to revive Mori culture) has seen an increasing alignment

between Mori and European political needs, resulting in a huge revival of Mori land, culture and brighter future for the Mori economy.

Reference List A History of the Maori Language, Retrieved September 17 2012, from http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/english/issues_e/hist/index.shtml Hongi Hika, Retrieved September 13 2012, from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/hongi-hika/1 Kngitanga - The Mori Monarchy, Retrieved September 16 2012, from http://www.monarchy.org.nz/maori.html Story 6 - Mori-Pkeh relations, Retrieved September 17 2012, from

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori-pakeha-relations/6 Missionary Influence and the Maori Reaction, Retrieved September 16 2012, from http://nzhistory.blogspot.co.nz/2009/03/missionary-influence-and-maori-reaction.html Sealers and Whalers - pre 1840 contact, Retrieved September 12 2012, from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/pre-1840-contact/sealers-and-whalers The Musket Wars, Retrieved September 12 2012, from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/new-zealands-19th-century-wars/the-musket-wars Thomas Kendall with Hongi Hika, Retrieved September 17 2012, from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/thomas-kendall-painting Treaty Events 1850-99, Retrieved September 15 2012, from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty/treaty-timeline/treaty-events-1850-99