The Meeting Place - A New Zealand History Blog

Vincent O’Malley is a professional historian and partner in the Wellington research consultancy HistoryWorks. He has published widely on New Zealand history, including the critically-acclaimed The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000 (Bridget Williams Books), which was named New Zealand Herald book of the year for 2016. WHEN Saturday 17 Feb, 5:00 pm WHERE Chinoiserie Garden (CG) ADMISSION $15 General Admission $13 Concession (Student, 65+) $14 Early Bird (before 22 Dec) For more information or to book tickets, visit https://hgaf.co.nz/sessions/vincent-omalley/ FB event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/358234037922361/

The battle of Ruapekapeka, fought in January 1846, was the final engagement in the war that Britain lost, as James Belich famously described it. But whether that means Ngāpuhi won the Northern War that had begun nine months earlier is in some ways a moot point. After 1846 the Crown turned its back on the north, which was left to become a backwater as the rest of the New Zealand economy boomed. Arguably, it has never really recovered. And so the story of the war is one of neglect, but also of remembering those who died in the conflict and the enormous damage it caused. It is said that many generations of Ngāti Manu women have been named Te Noota, after HMS North Star, the naval vessel that destroyed their pā at Ōtuihu on 30 April 1845. The conflict also serves as a reminder of the remarkable leaders from this period and their efforts to protect and defend their rangatiratanga. And that is relevant today as Ngāpuhi contemplate a path ahead with their Treaty sett...

The Waikato War was the defining conflict in New Zealand history, says historian Vincent O’Malley in his seminal new work. It was a war that inflicted a huge number of casualties (more per capita than World War 1), destroyed a thriving regional economy and set back Māori-Pakeha relations by generations. His bold, new work The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000 , has been acclaimed by Māori and Pakeha. Here, O’Malley discusses the book with Guyon Espiner.   When: Saturday, 28 October 2017 Where:  Carrus Crystal Palace, Tauranga Waterfront Tickets:  www.taurangafestival.co.nz/writers/the-great-war-for-nz-vincent-omalley-216 See also: ' Our Place to Stand ' Six speakers have 7 minutes each to explore what it means to be a New Zealander, whether by birth or adoption, and the identity that comes with breathing the air of this chain of islands between Polynesia and Antarctica. Their notion of tūrangawaewae – places where we feel especially empow...

Author Vincent O’Malley writes with the conviction that a mature nation needs to own its history, warts and all. In this session of the Manawatu Writers Festival he explains how an open and honest reckoning of our past is vital to genuine reconciliation.  Moving confidently into the future, Vincent argues, requires a robust understanding of where we have come from and been. When: Sunday, 10 September: 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM   Where: Paper Plus, 35 Manchester Square, Feilding (see map ) For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/events/1937245299824618/

A reminder that tomorrow night I will be discussing The Great War for New Zealand with Philip Matthews at Scorpio Books , BNZ Centre, 120 Hereford Street, Christchurch. Refreshments from 5.30pm for a 6pm start. For those not able to attend, RDU 98.5FM will be live streaming the event in full over Facebook. Click here for the link. By way of a taster, this morning I talked to James Dann, host of RDU's breakfast show, about the book and tomorrow night's event. Take a listen here . See www.facebook.com/events/871154789709189/ for more details.

See the Facebook event page for more details: www.facebook.com/events/871154789709189/

On 9 July 1863 a proclamation was issued by the government addressed to 'the natives of Mangere, Pukaki, Thirmatao [ sic - Ihumatao ], Te Kirikiri, Patumahoe, Pokeno, and Tuakau', warning that: All persons of the native race living in the Manukau district and the Waikato frontier are hereby required immediately to take the oath of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen, and to give up their arms to an officer appointed by Government for that purpose. Natives who comply with this order will be protected. Natives refusing to do so are hereby warned forthwith to leave the district aforesaid, and retire to Waikato beyond Mangatawhiri. In case of their not complying with this order they will be ejected. MA 1/1863/186 (Box 835), Archives New Zealand On the same date magistrates were despatched to the various settlements to deliver the notice and demand that Māori take an oath of allegiance to Queen Victoria or leave. As discussed in The Great War for New Zea...

A Declaration. A Treaty. A Petition. He Whakaputanga/The Declaration of Independence, 1835 Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, 1840 The Women’s Suffrage Petition/Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine, 1893   These three iconic New Zealand documents are now on public display at the National Library of New Zealand in the He Tohu exhibition held jointly with Archives New Zealand. Three books, published by Bridget Williams Books with the Department of Internal Affairs, take the story of these three foundational documents out to readers throughout the country.  Each book contains full colour facsimiles of the original document, and wide-ranging new research, led by Archives New Zealand, introduces us to many of the signatories. Texts by historians sets each document in context. Having served as an historical advisor in the preparation of the He Tohu exhibition content, I was delighted to be asked to contribute to the book on He Whakaputanga o te Ran...