The+History+of+New+Zealand

The arrival of the Maori
Very little is known about when the first people arrived in New Zealand. It is likely that ancestors of the Maori arrived from Polynesia in large canoes across 3,000km of sea. The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa which means ‘land of the long white cloud’. It is said that Kupe (a legendary navigator) gave the country the name when his wife said the land looked like a cloud when they first saw it.

Explorers
In 1642 the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman came across Golden Bay on the northwestern corner of the South Island. The Maori’s used canoes to attack the landing boats. Tasman sailed away without setting foot on the land.



In 1769, the British sent Captain James Cook to explore the South Pacific. When he arrived in New Zealand his encounters with the Maori were mostly friendly. Eventually Cook produced a good map of the main islands.



The arrival of the Pakeha (non-Maori people)
Cook returned to Britain with a wonderful description of the country and it’s people. In the 1790s European sealers, whalers, traders and missionaries came to settle in New Zealand. The early settlers started to trade with the Maori. However, there was no official government or police to keep the peace and conflict began. The British government wanted to find a peaceful solution. Eventually, a treaty was signed in Waitangi, in 1840.

Can you find a map of Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, where the Treaty was signed? Copy it to your page and explain why it is an important place in New Zealand?

The **Early Settlers** who came to New Zealand wanted a better life. Most hoped to buy their own land. But they had to prove they were of good character, skilled, healthy and hardworking. Many got letters from their church leaders to say this.

The journey to New Zealand often took longer than four months. Most people had their own cabin or they stayed in large dormitories (rooms) in the hold (bottom of the ship). There were no portholes (windows) and it was too dark to read or work. A family of six was squashed into a cubicle 1.8m x 2.4m. Disease spread quickly.



//**Daily Life as Settlers in New Zealand **// · Children were barefoot, as shoes were expensive · People dressed neatly, but it was difficult to wash clothes · On Sunday people wore their best clothes and went to church · Many children didn’t go to school every day, but they worked on the farms · Families were large, but many children died of disease <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">· Women worked in the home, they often taught their children and they earned money by selling homemade goods like butter <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">· The first homes were made out of wood and had two rooms – a bedroom and a kitchen

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">By the end of the 1800s, many roads and railways were built. This attracted even more settlers.

I would like you to find out some information about the daily life of the early settlers. > > > We are going to the ..... > **<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">Howick Historical Village **
 * 1) What clothes did they wear?
 * 2) What did they eat?
 * 3) What did the children do?
 * 4) What work did the adults do?