Julius Haast, the Canterbury museum and Māori : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Māori Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract

The thesis explores Haast‟s attitudes towards Māori through his activities as Director of the Canterbury Museum. This is achieved by examining his archaeology, his treatment of Māori human remains, his displays of Māori culture, and his historical theories concerning Māori. These questions will be addressed through four case studies drawn from Haast‟s work as curator. The first involves Haast‟s archaeological excavations and theories. The second study concerns the acquisition and display of Māori human remains, particularly those from Moa-bone Point Cave near Sumner in Christchurch. The third study concerns Haast‟s displays of Māori culture through the museum‟s collections and especially the Māori House Haast acquired for the Canterbury Museum. The final study looks at the display Haast curated as supervisor for the New Zealand Court at the Colinderies Exhibition in London. From these studies, general conclusions concerning Haast‟s relationships with and attitudes toward Māori are drawn.