Earliest Settlement
Roughly a thousand years ago, sometime before 1300 AD the first settlers made their way to the unappealing, remote country of New Zealand. However, before it was strictly considered New Zealand by other countries and its inhabitants, it was Aotearoa, which meant, “Land of the Long White Cloud” (“Early Settlement” 2015). Although when most people think of New Zealand, they think of Australia, it has almost no connection to Australia and how is was settled. The earliest inhabitants were forced to fend for themselves when it came to survive in the means of food, growth and future settlements.
The first known inhabitants of New Zealand, nearly a thousand years ago, were the Maori, who arrived from their homeland of Hawaiki, an island located in Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean that no longer exists. It is believed by the Maori people that the very first explorer from their people to reach New Zealand was Kupe. He used a voyaging canoe, called a waka hourua to journey to New Zealand and landed on Hokianga Harbor in Northland (“100% Pure New Zealand”). Kupe’s journey to New Zealand was almost like a ripple affect. More waka hourua made their way to the island for the next several hundred years and landing in different areas of the island. Although it has not been proven, the migration of Maori people to New Zealand is said to have been a deliberate because of known return journeys to Hawaiki (“100% Pure New Zealand”). The vast journey to New Zealand from Kupe and other waka hourua have been proven to be possible presently due to modern replicas of the waka hourua being created and the successful journey made by the replica through the Pacific Ocean using only traditional navigation methods (“Early Settlement” 2015). With the Maori people settling in New Zealand, they needed a means to survive civilly as a society; they based their thriving society on the iwi, which was a tribe. The society was so successful that present day iwi can trace back their ancestry and origins to distinct waka hourua (“100% Pure New Zealand”).
New Zealand was though by the Europeans to be “an unappealing prospect, a strange and lonely land reached after 100 days on dangerous seas; its coasts were thought treacherous, its inhabitants bloodthirsty” (Phillips, 1). However, this did not necessarily stop them from settling there, even if it was temporarily, and taking advantage of its location and inhabitants for trade. In order for Europeans to journey to New Zealand, they had to first settle in Sydney, Australia to find items for trade. Among the first settlers, besides the Maori, were sealers, men who came to New Zealand to hunt seals. They were interested in the meat, fur and high quality oil and stayed, or settled per say, for long periods of time to receive these things, although the settlement was usually temporary. However, some sealers did become permanent settlers due to the fact that they married Maori women and fathered their children creating European – Maori communities where perhaps one hundred sealers semi-permanently settled in the early 1820’s. Many of the sealers that ventured to New Zealand had English and Irish backgrounds, and also a few from American and Indian background. Eventually as the number of seals in the area declined, the sealers had to use flax, timber, pigs and potatoes for a means of trade (Phillips, 1). Dated back to as early as 1792, whalers, men who came to New Zealand to hunt whales, also were temporary visitors due to the fact that whales “provided oil, bone for corsets and ambergris, a waxy substance used as an aphrodisiac and a base for perfume” (Phillips, 1). They would harbor in the Bay of Islands to trade for supplies and relax before going back out to sea. The whalers came from all walks of life like English and American backgrounds, and even Spanish and Chinese backgrounds. Supposedly some whalers left the boats to set up on the shores of New Zealand to trade (Phillips, 1). Additionally, there were also missionaries that settled in New Zealand, who kept themselves isolated from others to build a community that was built on self –sufficiency. However, some of the members of the missionaries were more open to the ways of the Maori people, even though they did not speak of it (Phillips, 1). The different settlements were very unique in their own way.
The first inhabitants of New Zealand, the Maori already had a means of living; with being in a new area, they had to either improve their means or change them to meets the needs of the area. The Maori were hunters and gatherers, and utilized the native birds on the island for food, by hunting them with traps and snares. There were also penguins and seals that surrounded the island shores, mostly seen on the Southern Island and hunted for more purposes than just meat (“Early Settlements” 2015)). Sealers and whalers also utilized the vast population of marine life surrounding New Zealand, but for other purposes as stated above, but most importantly for trade. Additionally, the Maori ate the native vegetables of New Zealand, and also introduced some plants from Polynesia, considering the fact that they would grow just as well in New Zealand, due to the closeness of the islands and their climates. They utilized the bark and other sources from trees and plants to create baskets and other products to benefit their means of living (“Early Settlements” 2015).
In relation to “Guns, Germs and Steel,” and the theory of settlement, the spread of trade from Europe to New Zealand enhanced the flow of development of the country. At first the country was strictly Maori people, creating several iwi and living among each other in a much-civilized way, even though that was not always the case. Then as the Europeans began to journey to New Zealand new communities developed. Some sealers decided to settle on the island because they married Maori women and fathered their children; they also became accustomed to the ways of the Maori people. However, some sealers and whalers came to New Zealand temporarily to hunt and then they journey back to where they came from. Other whalers would stay and settle strictly for trade because the area was surrounded by sea and was a great trading ground. Essentially, all these aspects affected the growth of the country and its development. The settlement of this country does not relate to “Guns, Germs and Steel” in the form of climate. New Zealand is not in the Mediterranean climate zone and therefore did not have a large impact in the means of domesticated plants and animals. The people who settled here utilized the native animals and plants to their advantage for trade and a means of surviving.
Citations:
Early New Zealand Settlement. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/early-settlement.html
Early settlement - The arrival of Maori. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/early-settlement/
Phillips, J. (n.d.). Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/page-1
The first known inhabitants of New Zealand, nearly a thousand years ago, were the Maori, who arrived from their homeland of Hawaiki, an island located in Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean that no longer exists. It is believed by the Maori people that the very first explorer from their people to reach New Zealand was Kupe. He used a voyaging canoe, called a waka hourua to journey to New Zealand and landed on Hokianga Harbor in Northland (“100% Pure New Zealand”). Kupe’s journey to New Zealand was almost like a ripple affect. More waka hourua made their way to the island for the next several hundred years and landing in different areas of the island. Although it has not been proven, the migration of Maori people to New Zealand is said to have been a deliberate because of known return journeys to Hawaiki (“100% Pure New Zealand”). The vast journey to New Zealand from Kupe and other waka hourua have been proven to be possible presently due to modern replicas of the waka hourua being created and the successful journey made by the replica through the Pacific Ocean using only traditional navigation methods (“Early Settlement” 2015). With the Maori people settling in New Zealand, they needed a means to survive civilly as a society; they based their thriving society on the iwi, which was a tribe. The society was so successful that present day iwi can trace back their ancestry and origins to distinct waka hourua (“100% Pure New Zealand”).
New Zealand was though by the Europeans to be “an unappealing prospect, a strange and lonely land reached after 100 days on dangerous seas; its coasts were thought treacherous, its inhabitants bloodthirsty” (Phillips, 1). However, this did not necessarily stop them from settling there, even if it was temporarily, and taking advantage of its location and inhabitants for trade. In order for Europeans to journey to New Zealand, they had to first settle in Sydney, Australia to find items for trade. Among the first settlers, besides the Maori, were sealers, men who came to New Zealand to hunt seals. They were interested in the meat, fur and high quality oil and stayed, or settled per say, for long periods of time to receive these things, although the settlement was usually temporary. However, some sealers did become permanent settlers due to the fact that they married Maori women and fathered their children creating European – Maori communities where perhaps one hundred sealers semi-permanently settled in the early 1820’s. Many of the sealers that ventured to New Zealand had English and Irish backgrounds, and also a few from American and Indian background. Eventually as the number of seals in the area declined, the sealers had to use flax, timber, pigs and potatoes for a means of trade (Phillips, 1). Dated back to as early as 1792, whalers, men who came to New Zealand to hunt whales, also were temporary visitors due to the fact that whales “provided oil, bone for corsets and ambergris, a waxy substance used as an aphrodisiac and a base for perfume” (Phillips, 1). They would harbor in the Bay of Islands to trade for supplies and relax before going back out to sea. The whalers came from all walks of life like English and American backgrounds, and even Spanish and Chinese backgrounds. Supposedly some whalers left the boats to set up on the shores of New Zealand to trade (Phillips, 1). Additionally, there were also missionaries that settled in New Zealand, who kept themselves isolated from others to build a community that was built on self –sufficiency. However, some of the members of the missionaries were more open to the ways of the Maori people, even though they did not speak of it (Phillips, 1). The different settlements were very unique in their own way.
The first inhabitants of New Zealand, the Maori already had a means of living; with being in a new area, they had to either improve their means or change them to meets the needs of the area. The Maori were hunters and gatherers, and utilized the native birds on the island for food, by hunting them with traps and snares. There were also penguins and seals that surrounded the island shores, mostly seen on the Southern Island and hunted for more purposes than just meat (“Early Settlements” 2015)). Sealers and whalers also utilized the vast population of marine life surrounding New Zealand, but for other purposes as stated above, but most importantly for trade. Additionally, the Maori ate the native vegetables of New Zealand, and also introduced some plants from Polynesia, considering the fact that they would grow just as well in New Zealand, due to the closeness of the islands and their climates. They utilized the bark and other sources from trees and plants to create baskets and other products to benefit their means of living (“Early Settlements” 2015).
In relation to “Guns, Germs and Steel,” and the theory of settlement, the spread of trade from Europe to New Zealand enhanced the flow of development of the country. At first the country was strictly Maori people, creating several iwi and living among each other in a much-civilized way, even though that was not always the case. Then as the Europeans began to journey to New Zealand new communities developed. Some sealers decided to settle on the island because they married Maori women and fathered their children; they also became accustomed to the ways of the Maori people. However, some sealers and whalers came to New Zealand temporarily to hunt and then they journey back to where they came from. Other whalers would stay and settle strictly for trade because the area was surrounded by sea and was a great trading ground. Essentially, all these aspects affected the growth of the country and its development. The settlement of this country does not relate to “Guns, Germs and Steel” in the form of climate. New Zealand is not in the Mediterranean climate zone and therefore did not have a large impact in the means of domesticated plants and animals. The people who settled here utilized the native animals and plants to their advantage for trade and a means of surviving.
Citations:
Early New Zealand Settlement. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/early-settlement.html
Early settlement - The arrival of Maori. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/early-settlement/
Phillips, J. (n.d.). Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/page-1
Additional Information on the Settlement of New Zealand:
NEW ZEALAND HISTORY (http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/wellington-anniversary-day) This website gives a substantial amount of information on not necessarily the first European settlers of New Zealand, but the first European settlers that arrived in Wellington, the present day capital of New Zealand. There is also a 12 month calendar on the page that allows you to pick any day in the past and see what happened in New Zealand at that time.
FAMILY SEARCH (https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/New_Zealand_History) This website gives more information about the early history of New Zealand primarily focusing on the Maori and how the arrival of the Europeans affected them, It also provides some key dates and events that occurred in the history of settlement in New Zealand.
NEW ZEALAND HISTORY (http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/wellington-anniversary-day) This website gives a substantial amount of information on not necessarily the first European settlers of New Zealand, but the first European settlers that arrived in Wellington, the present day capital of New Zealand. There is also a 12 month calendar on the page that allows you to pick any day in the past and see what happened in New Zealand at that time.
FAMILY SEARCH (https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/New_Zealand_History) This website gives more information about the early history of New Zealand primarily focusing on the Maori and how the arrival of the Europeans affected them, It also provides some key dates and events that occurred in the history of settlement in New Zealand.
Population Pyramid
The two pyramids displayed above are showing the difference in population from the year 1950 and 2050, a hundred year difference. In the year 1950, it is clear that the population was not as high as other countries may be and that the population was made up of mostly children ages 0-14 and middle aged adults from 30-40. Although in the year 2050 they predict a large increase in the population, there is a large difference in the who makes up the population. It seems to be very evenly distributed in the amount of people who populate New Zealand from ages 0-40, but then takes a small dip from about 41-60. It then seems to slowly decrease as the age of the population increases.