Chapter18 New Zealand History
》》Key Words
■Maori
■Treaty of Waitangi
■New Zealand Constitution Act
■gold rush
■Lands for Settlement Acts
■the King Movement
■the Young Maori Party
■World WarⅠ
■the Great Depression
■World WarⅡ
■ANZUS Treaty
■economic deregulation
New Zealand is a young nation with a history of about one and a half centuries of constitutional government.However，the land has been inhabited for about seven centuries.The earliest known settlers of New Zealand were the Maori people.According to legend，they came to New Zealand around the year 1，200 in oceangoing canoes.Archeological evidence shows that they were Polynesians from Cook Islands，Society Islands and other islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The Maoris settled the islands systematically，with most of them staying in the northern main island.Since the climate in New Zealand was much colder than in Polynesia，they made cloth out of the local plant known as flax，and built houses of earth and thatch to keep warm.The Maori in the north grew plants like taro and kumara，a kind of sweet potato，as their staple food，which was supplemented with fish and birds.Those in the south depended mainly on fish，birds and rats.
The Maori people had a highly developed society.They lived in extended families which usually contained three or four generations.The families were organized into tribes which typically shared a common ancestor.The tribal chieftains were powerful leaders，but they usually held full tribal discussions before they made decisions.The Maori people practiced a complex religion which played an important role in their life.
In 1642，Dutch sailor Abel Janszoon Tasman discovered the islands and named it New Zealand，but the Dutch did not take further steps to settle there.In 1769，James Cook claimed New Zealand for England.After England began to settle Australia in 1788，many people were attracted to New Zealand by its rich natural resources of timber and flax on the islands and seals and whales in the surrounding ocean.Gradually，whalers established permanent settlements on the coast.Some married Maori women，and they mostly lived peacefully among the natives.
New Zealand also attracted missionaries who saw the Maori people as potential converts.By the end of 1830s，there were 13 missionary stations in New Zealand and a large number of Maori had been converted to Christianity.The missionaries also introduced European animals and poultry to New Zealand and taught the Maori how to grow crops and improve their houses with metal tools.
However，as in other colonies，the coming of white settlers led to disastrous consequences to the Maori people.The diseases they brought such as small pox and measles killed a large number of Maori who lacked immunity against them.British muskets presented another greater danger.The Maori were a warlike people，and with muskets，they could kill their enemies in greater numbers.Finally，trade with the white people upset the traditional pattern of Maori life.In order to trade with white settlers for muskets and other goods，the Maori people began to neglect their traditional work and instead spent much of their time collecting goods needed by whites.