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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” |
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 Monro 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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