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Item British humanitarians and the founding of New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand. EMBARGOED to 14 November 2026.(Massey University, 2024) Wyatt, PhilippaThis thesis reconsiders the intentions of the British humanitarians who sought to implement a ‘new system’ of ‘humane colonisation’ inaugurated by the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. It addresses two principal questions. First, it attempts to understand how scholarly interpretations regarding humanitarians have changed over time and come increasingly to deny any protective intentions. It begins with Keith Sinclair who, although initially critical of humanitarians, came to greatly appreciate the importance and influence of humanitarian thinking and its Christian basis. It then follows the historiographical marginalization of humanitarianism during a period of intense historical revision in the 1970s and 1980s when humanitarianism was dismissed along with long–held ‘myths’ of racial harmony. ‘New Imperial History’, while reintegrating New Zealand with the empire, has likewise continued to present all humanitarians, particularly missionaries, as little more than active agents of imperialism. Secondly, this thesis seeks to provide a revision of that existing interpretation through a re–examination of the intentions of leading humanitarians in 1840. What that assessment reveals is that their goal was to create a more just and equal society, both at home and within the empire. This was understood to be necessary given the ‘crisis of civilization’ these men were then facing as evident in the growing poverty of the working poor within Britain and the increasing mistreatment and exploitation of indigenous peoples in the empire. It was the urgency created by that crisis that not only fueled a revival of faith but united these men as Christians, and led them to then seek to change their society and the empire as a whole through what was to be a radical programme of social and political reform based on ‘moral politics’. What they sought was to empower the poor and marginalized to better help themselves by assisting with their development to a position of ‘social equality’ and independence through educational and social reforms. With regard to Māori, what that meant was implementing a programme of targeted assimilation that could equip them with the education and skills they needed to compete more equally with Pākehā, while maintaining that which was important to their culture and identity, particularly their language. Securing the independence and greater protection of the vulnerable both at home and abroad was also understood to be dependent on securing their greater legal equality and civil rights, and what was a movement inspired by Christian faith and ‘love’ in turn became a civil rights movement that eventually sought to achieve in New Zealand what these men called ‘amalgamation’: the peaceful union of the two races on the basis of a shared faith and equal rights and laws. This was the great hope of the ‘new system’ of ‘humane colonization’ that came to be first attempted in New Zealand. It was also the hope of many Māori leaders, who likewise understood the Treaty to have created a union based on ‘one faith, one love, one law’.Item Ngamotu me Kihitu nga whenua, Ngamotu me Kihitu nga turangawaewae : "Aue Te Ariki aue", kei whea ra nga tangata o te hau kainga nei? : a personal journey : where have all the people gone? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of requirement[s] for the degree of Masters of Philosophy, a major in Social Work, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2012) Webber-Dreadon, Emma Te PaeaEnclosed to the north and west by hills, edged by the Pacific Ocean and the Wairoa Hopupu-Hongenge Matangirau River, it seemed to me as a six year old that Ngamotu, Kihitu and Wairoa were the only places that existed in the world. It was then, and will always be, the ‘centre of my Universe’. NGAMOTU TE WHENUA, NGAMOTU TE TURANGAWAEWAE "AUE TE ARIKI AUE", KEI WHEA RA NGA TANGATA O TE HAU KAINGA NEI? The purpose of this research was to explore why the whenua of Ngamotu, and additionally Kihitu, are almost deserted of her people, and why there is so little use of her agriculturally or horticulturally. The inclusion of Kihitu within this thesis is because it is a 15 acres block of land located in the centre of Ngamotu. Whatever happens to either ‘block’ must surely impact on the other in some way. The use of tikanga and kaupapa Maori as the ‘pou’ of this research is what determines the mauri (well being) of nga whenua o Ngamotu and Kihitu, and their people. These are used because they are the most appropriate techniques and tools to use to explore and ascertain the mauri (well being) of Ngamotu and Kihitu, and her people. The study is an oral and recorded history, as told by seven purposively chosen mokopuna, who willingly shared their experiences and their knowledge of Ngamotu and Kihitu. In their own words, they shared their stories about Ngamotu and Kihitu, their history, their current status, and the influences that they have had on them, and what if any, are their moemoea (dreams) for Ngamotu and Kihitu. By naming Ngamotu and Kihitu as our turangawaewae acknowledges and provides a ‘chiefly’ place for us all to stand, which contributes to the importance and the ‘mauri ora’ (wellbeing) of Ngamotu and Kihitu as a whenua, which then enables us as mana-whenua (people of the land) to determine, define and strengthen our world views about and around Ngamotu and Kihitu, which in turn reflects the concept of being Maori and being a mokopuna of Ngamotu and Kihitu.Item Ngāti Porou leadership : Rāpata Wahawaha and the politics of conflict : "Kei te ora nei hoki tātou, me tō tātou whenua" : a thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Māori Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2000) Soutar, MontyThe primary focus of this thesis is to explore the reasons for Ngāti Porou participation in the wars in New Zealand during the 1860s. Early writers surmised that the alliances between tribes like Ngāti Porou, Te Arawa and the lower Whanganui iwi and the settler government were due primarily to a sense of loyalty to the crown. Repetition by later historians has reinforced this notion in New Zealand folklore and historiography. While recent retrospective histories reveal a growing awareness that the motivation behind the alliances was more complex, no analysis of tribal motives worthy of the confidence of Māori has yet been recorded. This thesis initially sets out to determine whether the historical orthodoxy is founded at least for Ngāti Porou. It presents evidence showing that significant aspects of the Ngāti Porou story have been misunderstood and misrepresented by writers who have been unable to source or who have felt it unnecessary to properly canvass Ngāti Porou views and records. To date, tribal historians have on the whole refrained from presenting a tribal perspective, not because the information does not exist, but from a desire to keep such knowledge in the tribal arena where it is most relevant. Continued irritation, however, caused by historical publications that fall short when trying to comprehend the nature of Māori participation, has resulted in a freeing up of information by those who jealously guard their family's manuscripts, and others who retain the oral testimonies within the tribe, so that a re-examination is made possible. This thesis also generally seeks to link Ngāti Porou's involvement in war with leadership patterns that emerged within the tribe during the period 1865-1872, though this dimension of Ngāti Porou history is not canvassed exhaustively here. In times of crisis existing leadership patterns were challenged and as often as not new leaders emerged to lead the tribe. Perhaps the finest military leader produced by Ngāti Porou during the Hauhau encounters was Major Rāpata Wahawaha. His role in shaping Ngāti Porou's modern identity is a major theme running throughout this thesis. It is argued that his leadership and philosophy characterised the contribution by Ngāti Porou to theatres of war that followed the 1860s. It is proposed that such a contribution was both strategic and calculated to achieve gains for Ngāti Porou. Moreover, the wider question is raised: why, since the 1860s, has Ngāti Porou been so ready to join the battlefront and to stand alongside the Crown? The thesis contends that far from being motivated solely by loyalty to the Crown, Ngāti Porou entered into an alliance with the Crown in order to protect and to advance tribal interests.
