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Maori arrived
around 700 -800 years ago |
A knowledge of sailing,
the stars and the moods of the Pacific Ocean brought Maori here
in the Great Migration period from Hawaiiki.
One of the oldest tangata whenua (original)
tribes who have remained in Te Tau Ihu O te Waka A Maui (Top of
the South) is Ngati Kuia. Their forebears arrived in Te Tai Tapu
(the western coast of Nelson-Tasman), aboard the waka “Kurahaupo”
some 700 years ago.
On their arrival these early travellers found
plenty of birds and fish; argillite for weapon and tool making;
and fertile soils. Further south in Te Tai Poutini (the West Coast),
they found and treasured pounamu (greenstone)(onyx). However life
in those times was not always idyllic as other iwi (tribes ) invaded
the area.and either annihilated the residents of the time or drove
them further south. |
Abel Tasman
1642 |
The first documented European
visitors to Te Tai Tapu were Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, and
the men of his vessels. They were attacked by local Maori, Ngati
Tumatakokiri, in their canoes and Tasman lost four men clashing
with them in Mohua (Golden Bay). Tasman, unusually forbearing,
left without setting foot on the shore. |
James Cook
1770 |
James Cook, on a scientific
voyage, rediscovers the area in his ship, the Endeavor which he
repaired and took on wood and water in Queen Charlotte sound.
He then circumnavigated the South Island passing Cape Farewell..
He returned on two further voyages in 1773 and 1777 |
Whalers
From the 1820’s |
Sealing parties were landed
on the rocky west coast of the region. They were followed by whalers.
These early visitors paved the way for the next wave of arrivals
to the region |
Dumont D’Urville
1827 |
The French voyager spent nearly
a week in Tasman Bay in his ship the Astrolabe and was the first
to explore the area. He named Separation Point which separates
Tasman Bay from Golden Bay. |
The Region Invaded
1828 – 1832 |
Iwi from the north – Ngati
Tama, Nagti Toa, Te Atiawa, Ngati Rarua and Ngati Koata –
swept down from Kapiti and Te Whanga-nui-a-tara (Wellington),
armed with the new technology of deadly muskets and after fierce
fighting, they conquered the area and all the resources it contained. |
The New Zealand Company
1841 |
The ships Will-Watch, Whitby
and Arrow embarked under the command of Captain Arthur Wakefield
R.N. to establish the Second Colony of the New Zealand Company
in New Zealand. The settlement was to be called Nelson named in
honour of the feats of the British Admiral, Horatio Lord Nelson
who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805.
Frederick Tuckett, an explorer found what
is now known as the Waimea Plane. |
European settlement & Maori |
The advent of European settlement
thrust local iwi into a new world, offering them both opportunity
and grievances. Some became guides to the early European explorers.
Others traded fish, pork and produce to the settler communities. |
The First Settlers
1842 |
The settlers from the migrant
ships Fifeshire and Mary Ann came after months of sailing over
the world’s unpredictable oceans. The settlers had left
the rigid class system of England with hopes of a new freedom,
independence and the desire to make a new way for themselves in
the world. It was a voyage which tested their resolve as seasickness,
disease and death punctuated life on the voyage as well as in
their new alien environment. |
Land and Farming |
The price of a section of urban
land, a larger piece of suburban land or an even larger rural
block brought the opportunity to create a decent life for their
families away from the constraints and poverty of their homelands.
Native forests were felled for timber, land was cleared for crops
and the town of Nelson grew as trade began to develop.
The settlers brought with them seeds, fowl
and livestock to make them feel at home and to see them through
hard times. Their knowledge and traditions laid the foundations
for the rural economy that drives the region today. |
Murchison and The Buller |
While most of the population
chose to settle in the tamer coastlands and plains circling Tasman
and Golden Bays, some forged south to Kohatu, Murchison and the
Buller looking for large tracts of land. For these people, life
was isolated, walled in behind formidable mountain ranges and
exposed to day-to-day dangers such as river crossings where drowning
was so commonplace it became known as the “New Zealand death”
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Minerals and Gold
1856 |
The finding of minerals, particularly
gold, brought huge excitement and a race to some of the region’s
most isolated areas, firstly for gold in Aorere (Collingwood)
and, soon after, in the back country of Murchison. The discovery
of copper and chromite on the Dun Mountain near Nelson saw the
construction of the first railway in New Zealand built to carry
the diggings to the port. |
Schools, Science, and Sports
1870 |
The settler community displayed
a range of scientific, literary, farming and entrepreneurial skills,
and education was a high priority. Money was set aside for schooling
and just 14 years after European settlement began, Nelson College
was founded – the first state school in the country. Its
most famous student was Ernest (Lord) Rutherford of Nelson –
the father of nuclear physics. Another pupil was Charles Munro
who is credited for the introduction of rugby football and the
first rugby match in New Zealand – played in Nelson in 1870. |
Other Europeans |
Although the settlement of this
region was British-led, other nationalities followed and the area
soon developed distinctive cultural pockets – including
German settlements on the Waimea Plains and the Moutere, and Italian
tomato growers in “The Wood” area of Nelson City. |
Evolution |
Over the last 160 years of our
history the mix of Maori and settlers from the British Isles,
Europe and the Pacific Islands has created a unique cultural identity.
With the more recent arrival of immigrants from other lands, the
character of our region continues to evolve. |
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