What Went Wrong
In this module you will learn about how colonisation of NZ was similar to elsewhere and how this was the opposite both of the pre-Treaty relationships and of the commitments made by the Crown in all four articles of the Treaty.
This module comprises the following sections. While we recommend you work through them linearly, if you’re returning, or specifically interested in a particular issue, you can jump to the relevant section by clicking on the headings below. If you haven’t looked at the previous module recently it would be useful to do so before starting this one because it provides important context.
In some ways, engagement between Māori and tauiwi continued to be mutually beneficial in the first twenty years after the signing of the Treaty; however the Crown’s declaration of New Zealand as a colony meant that by 1860 100,000 Europeans had arrived with a coloniser mindset which they proceeded to implement.
The Crown’s decision to treat New Zealand as one country not only overrode hapū authority but also involved creation of a national government which marginalised Māori voices in decision-making, even while they were still the majority of the population.
By 1930, the Crown had acquired over 90% of Māori land through various means, including laws and land confiscations.
The colonisation process was explicit about the intention of undermining Māori culture generally and the language in particular.
Key Terms
Here are key terms and concepts used in this module. If you are unfamiliar with any of these, we recommend you click on the links to review the terms and how they relate to the material in this course (some are used in other contexts, such as hapu, which also means pregnant, but here is used to in the context of the Māori social structures.
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