Early Settlement and Population
Maori are the natives of New Zealand and according to them, the first explorer to discover the island was a man named Kupe from a small island in Polynesia. He “used the stars and ocean currents as his navigational guides” when crossing the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 years ago. (NewZealand.com) After Kupe’s arrival, many people from his tribe waka hourua continued to land on different parts of the island and began settling. Most Maori would settle near the water because it provided them with a food supply besides the vegetables they had brought from Polynesia and food grown on the island.
The settlers, or the Maori people, had lived on the island unbothered for quite some time before a Dutch explorer named Abel Tasman arrived in December of 1642. His journey of annexing the country for his home, Holland, was unsuccessful and ended with four of his men being killed by Maori men. With Tasman failing to annex the island, Britain decided to go out and discover if this land was as fertile and the scenery was as breathtaking as they had heard. They sent Captain James Cook on a mission to find the land and in 1769, the captain’s cabin boy sighted the island and it became potential British land. There were 125,000 Maori and around 2,000 British settlers living amongst each other and trading goods. On February 6, 1840, Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with Britain for protection from countries that may try to overtake them. The treaty ended up causing a controversy due to the British wanting full control of New Zealand and the Maori not giving up freedom but only allowing Britain to use their land. This treaty has since been rectified by the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975, which guaranteed the rights of Maori people and even granted some Maori compensation.
The settlers, or the Maori people, had lived on the island unbothered for quite some time before a Dutch explorer named Abel Tasman arrived in December of 1642. His journey of annexing the country for his home, Holland, was unsuccessful and ended with four of his men being killed by Maori men. With Tasman failing to annex the island, Britain decided to go out and discover if this land was as fertile and the scenery was as breathtaking as they had heard. They sent Captain James Cook on a mission to find the land and in 1769, the captain’s cabin boy sighted the island and it became potential British land. There were 125,000 Maori and around 2,000 British settlers living amongst each other and trading goods. On February 6, 1840, Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with Britain for protection from countries that may try to overtake them. The treaty ended up causing a controversy due to the British wanting full control of New Zealand and the Maori not giving up freedom but only allowing Britain to use their land. This treaty has since been rectified by the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975, which guaranteed the rights of Maori people and even granted some Maori compensation.
Maps of New Zealand
The above maps show the population of New Zealand in 1950 and 2010. As shown, you can see that the population hasn't changed too much, however less babies are being born and citizens are living longer. The map below shows the population density in the early years of settlement. Most settlers during this period of time made a home on the north island of New Zealand.
Additional Online Resources
Timeline of Early History
Earliest Settlement on Dipity.
Sources
Planetware. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.planetware.com/map/new-zealand-new-zealand-main-settlement-areas-around-1840
map-nz-nz7.htm
History in New Zealand | Things to see and do in New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.newzealand.com/us/history/
New Zealand Facts, New Zealand Flag -- National Geographic. (2013). Retrieved from http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/new-zealand-facts/
Early settlement - The arrival of Maori | New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/early-settlement/
NZHistory, New Zealand history online. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz
New Zealand: population density -- Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/73664/Population-density-of-New-Zealand
Population Pyramid of New Zealand in 1950 & 2010 — PopulationPyramid.net. (2011). Retrieved from http://populationpyramid.net/New+Zealand/1950/ and http://populationpyramid.net/New+Zealand/2010
map-nz-nz7.htm
History in New Zealand | Things to see and do in New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.newzealand.com/us/history/
New Zealand Facts, New Zealand Flag -- National Geographic. (2013). Retrieved from http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/new-zealand-facts/
Early settlement - The arrival of Maori | New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/early-settlement/
NZHistory, New Zealand history online. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz
New Zealand: population density -- Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/73664/Population-density-of-New-Zealand
Population Pyramid of New Zealand in 1950 & 2010 — PopulationPyramid.net. (2011). Retrieved from http://populationpyramid.net/New+Zealand/1950/ and http://populationpyramid.net/New+Zealand/2010