Category Archives: NZ History

Stories from New Zealand

Treaty Principles Bill Submission

The Treaty Principles Bill is expected to fall at its second reading in Parliament today. I confess to having struggled with how to respond to the Bill. There were aspects of it which I very much appreciated. In particular that … Continue reading

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Kāwanatanga katoa was the fundamental question at Waitangi

A recent NZ Herald opinion piece continued the modernist narrative that in 1840 the chiefs did not agree to Crown sovereignty. Here is the alternative view I sent them, which they declined to publish… Matthew Hooton wrote in the NZ … Continue reading

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The chieftainship rests with one – the Governor

After Hone Heke felled the flagstaff in 1844, a group of Chiefs meet with Governor Fitzroy at Waimate North to discuss the situation. The transcript of the meeting gives a fascinating insight into how they understood the Treaty. Watch the … Continue reading

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Jackson all over the co-governance paddock

Labour MP Willie Jackson is a likeable chap. But his TVNZ interview on co-governance last week was a difficult watch. Jackson was a flailing mass of contradictions, confusion, and ill-defined slogans. Interviewer Jack Tame tried to get some clarity, but … Continue reading

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Many aeroplanes, many aeroplanes…!

It is an overcast late afternoon at Maleme airfield in Crete. The place is packed with local Greeks. They are here for the annual service to remember the Battle of Crete. Included is a re-enactment of the day in 1941 … Continue reading

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We fought for them. They fought for us.

It was a sunny blue morning. But the skulls had bullet holes in them. They were in a glass case within a monument above the village of Sfakia on the south coast of Crete. The plaque noted they had been … Continue reading

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The Chiefs respond to Heke’s flagstaff attack

“We are one tribe, and we will fight for the staff and our Governor.” So declared Tamati Waka Nene. It was September 1844. Hone Heke had recently attacked the flagstaff at Kororareka. Now Governor Fitzroy had travelled north to address … Continue reading

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Why did Hone Heke cut down the flagstaff?

The modern view is that Hone Heke cut down the flagstaff at Kororareka because his expectation of a dual sovereignty partnership as agreed in the Treaty had not been met. But is this true? Watch this short video for a … Continue reading

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Sovereignty and the Treaty – the evidence

As you start your Christmas shopping, this book may be just the thing for someone you know who is interested in New Zealand history and politics. It’s about the past, but it’s also about the future. One Sun in the … Continue reading

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Henry Williams – Nationmaker

The water lapped brightly around the small boat. It was 1835. Henry Williams and his crew were sailing south through the Hauraki Gulf. As they passed the Waitemata, Williams recorded, …was much struck with the beauty of the harbour, which … Continue reading

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