Wayne Ryburn: “When Truth becomes Distorted and made to Disappear”

Following my series of articles on the year 10 social studies learning workbook on “The Treaty of Waitangi -Te Tiriti o Waitangi” – see HERE - it should be obvious to readers that all New Zealand students deserve a more accurate and balanced account of our history.  I have had  many requests for obtaining this textbook. Initially you can ask your secondary school children, or grandchildren for it, if they have used this text. It has a quite distinctive green colour. Failing that look up ESA Publications. You can call them on 0800372266 or email them; info@esa.co.nz.

The myth making or simply poorly researched history still continues to be published.

Recently I read resource material being used in the classroom. An article from the Te Ara web site, written by Basil Keane claimed that “By 1842, Maori between the ages of 10 years and 30 years could read and write in their own language, a higher literacy rate than for non Maori at the time”. No evidence was provided for this claim.

A number of Mission stations had been set up south of Auckland between 1832 and 1839, providing for conversion to Christianity and education, however, the majority of chiefs in 1840 who signed the treaty made a mark or simply put a cross by their name. The chances that literacy rates would have reached all Maori between 10 and 30 years of age is very slender. On the other side of the coin Waitangi Tribunal claimants have made comments, as mentioned in my first article, that the people coming to live in New Zealand from the UK were “peasants” and thereby implying they were illiterate. Prior to 1840 there were only about 2000 Europeans living in New Zealand, many of whom were sealers and whalers who possibly were illiterate. Settlers from 1840 on were quite literate as evident in the establishment of libraries and the publication of newspapers or broad sheets in each of the new settlements around New Zealand.

It is now becoming difficult to explain to young students, of 14-15 years of age, that there are differing perspectives of New Zealand's history, or that some of the Waitangi Tribunal’s history is simply myth making. Students believe what they read in the “Treaty of Waitangi” work book or what they see in many of the on-line videos they are directed to watch as being the truth. One such video clip shown is the joint production between Radio New Zealand and Tainui on the Waikato wars. In particular the claims that a massacre took place at Rangiaowhia, in February 1864, where women and children were raped and murdered by British troops! As the retelling of the story seems authentic it must then be an accurate  account of what took place. Any other viewpoint is now deemed to be “racist” by students while those stories being shown are correct because they are being told from a “Maori viewpoint”.

It is becoming more difficult to inform students and explain to them that the textbook on “The Treaty of Waitangi” is biased, that it portrays many myths and is riddled with inaccuracies. Students need to be provided with a more factually balanced textbook than this one. Even at year13 History students should read between three and five texts on the topic being taught, but they are not doing so. Students at this level need to read more widely to get a more accurate picture of what happened in our history. What is now being taught is merely ideological propaganda and must be reversed otherwise this Waitangi Tribunal history will become “official history” similar to what is propagated by fascist regimes such as those in Russia and China.

In recent times I have read both volumes of James Cowan's brilliant text on “The New Zealand Wars and the pioneering period.” They were written and published 100 years ago and last reprinted in 1983 by the government printer. Auckland's librarians had to locate the texts deep in the basement of the central library. The texts are largely based on written accounts, diaries and oral recall. Cowan interviewed both Maori and pakeha alike, who were present. It is fascinating to read original viewpoints on the various conflicts from 1842 through to the 1870's. At times Cowan equally blames both tribal leadership and government leaders for the resulting conflicts. The reader  also gets an understanding of the deep respect that protagonists on both sides of the conflict had for each other plus the valour in combat, shown by both Maori and pakeha alike. Consequently Cowan's “The New Zealand Wars” comes across as being far more authentic than recent revisionist histories of this period.

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.