Wayne Ryburn: Article 8 - Exposing History Curriculum Myths

This is the final of a series of eight articles exposing some of the myths about New Zealand's History, now being taught to secondary school students. 

Article 1 can be seen HERE, Article 2 HERE, Article 3 HERE, Article 4 HERE, Article 5 HERE, Article 6 HERE, Article 7 HERE.

The Level 5 workbook for Year 10 students on the "Treaty of Waitangi - Te Tiriti o Waitangi" was published and has been in use since 2014. The page numbers and headings in the text are referenced throughout the series of articles. 

Some aspects, especially on the Taranaki and Waikato wars, are also re-taught in greater depth in the History curriculum at Year 13.

The series of articles was written as a critique to the editor of ESA publications, Jo Crichton and the author of the text book, F J Gibson. This critique was sent in October last year - to date there has been no reply.

ARTICLE 8 - EXPOSING HISTORY CURRICULUM MYTHS 

The 7^th Myth: That land was gifted by Ngati Whatua for the founding of Auckland, and the impacts of the “Principles” of the Treaty with myth #1 revisited. 

Pg 53

Case Study: the Waitangi Tribunal Orakei Claim and the myth about the founding of Auckland.

Russel Stone, Professor of History at Auckland University and author of “From Tamaki Makaurau to Auckland” (2001) in the NZ Herald stated that Chief Apihai Te Kawa invited Governor Hobson to come to Tamaki. But the 3,000 acres of land was sold. He retold how John Logan Campbell recounted his meeting with Apihai in late 1840, the chief was in possession of sovereigns for the initial sale of the land. The myth of giving the land was made by the late Sir Hugh Kawharu at a lecture at Auckland Museum in 2001, in which he admitted that he was giving “a version of the past from a Ngati Whatua perspective”

On September 18^th 1840, the union flag was raised over the new settlement of Auckland. Newly arrived settlers via Wellington, aboard the “Platina”  with a few more from the “Anna Watson,” along with 100 Maori, witnessed the raising of the flag. Sarah Mathew, wife of Felton Mathew the government surveyor, would write in her diary that at 12.30 a party of government officials landed and proceeded to the height where the flagstaff was raised. The police magistrate, attended by his clerk and an interpreter, read the preamble That a certain portion of land was to be given to the government by certain chiefs for a certain payment to be fixed and were to be given a portion of it there and then of six sovereigns (6 pounds). The three principal chiefs then signed the agreement following discussion about the boundaries. The police magistrate and other officers also signed the agreement.

This was followed by the union flag being run up the mast and a 21 gun salute. A boat race soon followed by sailors and a canoe race for the natives. The myth that land was given by Ngati Whatua for the founding of a British settlement has been cemented in a new plaque, which thanks Ngati Whatua for “gifting” the land,in down town  Auckland. This replaced the previous plaque that acknowledged the 1840 purchase.. That Auckland Council lacks an understanding of its own history, and concedes to creating  a myth is unforgivable. 

The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the Treaty in Legislation Pgs 68-74

This section refers to the State Owned Enterprises Act of 1986 and then leads on to a lengthy discussion on the three principles behind the treaty which have been developed from the 1990's. They are; Partnership, Protection and Participation. The emphasis here is that a partnership exists between Maori and the Crown. This ideological approach, aimed at 15 year old students is deliberately done, by making claims that a partnership existed between the Crown and Iwi. As they become more indoctrinated it makes the idea of co-governance more acceptable to students, and at the same time their rejection of democratic principles. This will mean an end to our liberal democracy in New Zealand.

The Waitangi Tribunal for over 30 years has promulgated the theory that the Treaty had established a partnership between The Crown and Iwi. It has done this like George Orwell's dystopian book “1984” whereby the Ministry of Truth aims to rewrite history by changing the facts to fit party doctrine. In its deliberations on treaty claims the Tribunal has simply written everything solely from a Maori perspective.

The former Minister for Justice and Treaty Settlements,Sir Douglas Graham, stated in the NZ Herald in 1999, that neither “Common law” nor the Treaty can permit Maori sovereignty.  English common law could not and did not recognize a challenge to the authority of the Crown. The treaty did not include any concept of “joint government” and continued reference to the treaty as a partnership is misleading. There can only be parties to the treaty,  Sovereignty passed from Maori to the Crown along with the function of government in 1840. This followed from Governor Hobson's declaration on 21 May and ratification of the Treaty by Royal Proclamation in the gazette 2^nd October 1840. The policies of co-governance and democracy are incompatible to each another. Students clearly need guidance on the difference between the two. 

Wayne Ryburn, an Auckland University graduate, with a thesis on the history of the Kaipara, has been a social science teacher for nearly 50 years.

Resources used in this critique

1.      Historical Frictions: Maori Claims and Reinvented Histories (2005) Michael Belgrave

2.      Soldiers, Scouts & Spies. A Military History of the NZ Wars 1845-1864 (2019 Cliff Simmons

3.      Two Peoples, One Land; The New Zealand Wars (2006) Matthew Wright

4.      Empire and the Making of Native Title, Sovereignty, Property & Indigenous People  (2020) Bain Attwood

5.      The Musket Wars - a History of Inter-iwi Conflict 1806-1845 (1999 & 2020) R.D. Crosby

6.      Waitangi - A Living Treaty (2019) Matthew Wright

7.      Nation Dates - Events that shaped the nation of New Zealand (2011) Wendy McGuinness & Miriam White

8.      The Travesty of Waitangi (1995) Stuart C. Scott

9.      The Kingite Rebellion (2016) John Robinson

10.   An Unsettled History (1999) Alan Ward

11.  Fatal Frontiers. A New History of New Zealand in the Decade Before the Treaty (2006) Paul Moon

12.  The Penguin History of New Zealand (2003) Michael King

13.  Making Peoples. A History of New Zealanders from Polynesian Settlement to the end of the 19th Century (1996) & The New Zealand Wars (1988) James Belich

14.  Hoani's Last Stand,The real story of Rangiaowhia (2022) Piers Seed

15.  Tall Spars, Steamers & Gum. A History of the Kaipara 1854-1947 (1999) Wayne Ryburn

16.  Treaty of Waitangi Level 5 Learning Textbook: Te Tiriti o Waitangi (2017) F.J. Gibson

17. Settlement by Sail, !9^th Century immigration to New Zealand (1991) Gainor Jackson

18. The New Zealand Wars  2019 Vincent O'Malley

NZ Herald June 16^th 1998  “Dialogue” Ken Stead

NZ Herald Feb 22^nd 1999  “Declaration of Sovereignty superceded by Treaty” Sir Douglas Graham

NZ  Herald Nov !7^th 2000 “ Making History our Whipping Boy “ Kerry Howe

NZ Herald  July 10^th 2004 “Tribunals Flawed Experiment” Diana McCurdy

NZ Herald Sept 20^th 2004 “Outspoken Bassett”