Māori history and people
We offer a selection of courses that examine the history of Māori, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand. From the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, to dynamic changes in the Māori 20th century, undergraduate students can learn about key events, inter-cultural encounters and political trends in Māori history.
As well as Māori-focused courses, our New Zealand and racial histories courses provide opportunities to consider the Māori past in the context of the historical construction of race and wider New Zealand social, political, economic and cultural changes.
The Department of History also supervises theses in Māori history. Examples of current theses with a Māori focus include:
- Te Haahi Mihinare as a Site of Māori Cultural Construction
- Constructions of Māori Community: Migrations from North Hokianga to Auckland
- Performing New Zealand: Māori and European song and dance on stage, 1860-1940.
Examples of recently completed theses include:
- Sir James Carroll: The Cultural Construction of a Māori Parliamentarian within Pākehā Society 1887–1919
- Māori Women’s Experiences of Childbirth at National Women’s Hospital 1950–2000
- Rīria te Riri, Mahia te Mahi: The Politics and Development of Modern Māori Activism, 1968-1978
Opportunities for students to explore Māori history in the department:
| Undergraduate courses | |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 | |
| HISTORY 107 | Rethinking New Zealand History |
| HISTORY 111 | Racial Histories |
| Stage 2 | |
| HISTORY 227 | Waitangi: Treaty to Tribunal |
| HISTORY 260 | The Māori 20th Century |
| Stage 3 | |
| HISTORY 327 | Waitangi: Treaty to Tribunal |
| HISTORY 360 | The Māori 20th Century |
| Postgraduate courses | |
| HISTORY 705AB | Writing New Zealand |
| HISTORY 712 | Oral Approaches, Māori pasts |
Te Tumutumu Kōrero are Māori in the history department committed to fostering and celebrating pathways, excellence and networks in Māori history.
Founded in 1995 to provide mutual support and to encourage success within the discipline, Te Tumutumu Kōrero has nurtured ‘generations’ of Māori students within the department from Stage One through to PhD level, and on to high-achieving Māori staff.
Nurturing through mutual support means meeting informally at shared lunches and other social activities, learning from each other’s academic challenges and successes, or participating with other Māori history networks, such as Te Pouhere Kōrero, an organisation of Māori historians. All new Māori students are more than welcome to come along and be a part of the Te Tumutumu Kōrero kaupapa.
Te Aho Mātauranga / Māori history space
Te Aho Mātauranga is an active, safe and supportive space in the department (currently room G10) dedicated to the use of Māori students.
The room is equipped with a whiteboard and desks for individual or group study, lockers and tea and coffee facilities. The room is open for use throughout the year and provides the venue for many of the activities of Te Tumutumu Kōrero.
Kaiawhina/Tuakana mentor
The history department’s kaiāwhina provides support for Māori students in the department alongside Māori tutors, lecturers and Te Tumutumu Kōrero.
The kaiāwhina offers individual support during office hours as well as group-based academic support in essay-writing or exam workshops.
Upcoming events in 2011:
Semester 1, week 3, Rededication of Te Aho Mātauranga
Semester 1, June 10-11 2011, He Rau Tumu Kōrero IV
For further information about Te Tumutumu Kōrero or upcoming events, check out the noticeboards in Te Aho Mātauranga and in the history department’s foyer, or contact Melissa Williams.
Key links:
