The Treaty of Waitangi struck a
bargain between two parties - the Crown and Maori. Its promises of security
however, were followed from 1845 to 1872 by a series of volatile and bloody
conflicts commonly known as the New Zealand Wars.
Many
people believe that these wars were fought solely between the Crown and Maori,
when the reality is Maori aligned with both sides, resulting in three
participants from differing viewpoints.
It
is rarely recognised for instance, that Te Wherowhero, later the first Maori
King, was originally a strong supporter of the Crown, or that the numbers of
Maori who aligned with the Crown or were neutral probably exceeded those who
fought against it. Or that the frontline combat over the final two years was
fought almost exclusively between opposing Maori forces. Kupapa
is an important work that gives voice to an unspoken chapter of Maori history
About the author: Ron Crosby was born in 1949 and spent the first 30 years of his working
life as a court lawyer, initially in partnership for a few years in Auckland,
and from 1975 in Blenheim where he still lives. He was admitted to the Bar in
1971 and gained an LLB Hons at Auckland University. In 2002 Ron formally
retired as a partner of the law firm Gascoigne Wicks, but continued as a
consultant to that firm predominantly in resource management and iwi fields for
another six years finally retiring at the end of December 2007 to concentrate
on writing. His personal interests
include a wide range of sports, and his interest in exploring on foot the bush
and back country areas of New Zealand has led to an interest in writing on New
Zealand history.
Publications:
In 1999 Ron
Crosby wrote The Musket Wars –A History of Inter-Iwi Conflict 1806-1845, in
2004 Gilbert Mair – Te Kooti’s Nemesis, in 2006 Andris Apse – Odyssey and
Images, in 2008 Albaneta – Lost Opportunity at Casino (all Reed publications);
in 2009 NZSAS: The First Fifty Years (Penguin), in 2012 A Desperate Dawn - The
Battle for Turuturu Mokai 1868 Tawhi Museum and in 2015 Kupapa - The bitter
legacy of Maori alliances with the crown (Penguin Random House). He has
also contributed a chapter on the resource management experiences of the Te Tau
Ihu iwi for the book Whenua – Managing our Resources (ed. M. Kawharu, Reeds
2002) a chapter on Gilbert Mair for the book Maori Treasures of New Zealand –
Ko Tawa (ed. P.Tapsell, David Bateman, 2006) and a chapter on the iwi of
the Te Tau Ihu o the Waka a Maui for the book Marlborough - Celebrating 150
Years (Marlborough District Council, 2011.)
Date:
Wednesday 7 October at 12.15pm. Venue: Ministry for Culture and
Heritage, L4 ASB House, 101 The Terrace, Wellington.
To
listen again to MCH History Group talks go to: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/handsonhistory/downloads-and-podcasts. For more information about our regular public history talks
please contact lyn.belt@mch.govt.nz.
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