Tag Archives: xHistory

Treaty Debate: The Māori seats in Parliament

2 February 2009 – 5.07pm

What do you think of the Māori seats in Parliament?

On Thursday 5 February @ 6.30 – 8 p.m. two speakers will deal with this provocative issue – The role of Māori in Parliament and the future of the Māori seats.

Professor Philip Joseph and Derek Fox will discuss this topic as part of Te Papa’s annual Treaty Debate series.

Join the debate

We want to hear what you think. You can watch via our webcast, and use the chat window to give us your opinions, or to ask questions. Te Papa staff will put your questions to the debaters.

Or you could send in a question to mediaenquiry@tepapa.govt.nz. We will ask as many of your questions as there is time for.

Join us on Thursday at http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/treatydebates.

History of the Māori seats

Created in 1867 as a temporary measure, the four Maori seats continued for over a hundred years to provide some voice for Maori in Parliament.

It was often a muffled voice and one easily ignored in a democratic structure dominated by non-Māori members. But with the first elections under MMP in 1996, Māori interest in the political world expanded, numbers on the Māori electoral roll increased, and Māori were entitled to more seats.

The Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 was followed by the establishment of the Māori Party and greater political party interest to work with Māori .

All has conspired to make the Māori seats a hot topic for debate!

Dr Claudia Orange, Director History and Pacific Cultures

By Te Papa | Posted in Events, History | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Rob’s Mob

13 May 2008 – 9.52am

Some of the topics we’re exploring in the 20th Century History exhibition relate to major local and international events, some are aligned with social or technological changes, and some revolve around personalities.

One of New Zealand’s most memorable personalities was Prime Minister Robert Muldoon. Muldoon dominated public life in the 1970s and early 1980s in a way that few politicians before or since have managed. When we spoke with members of the public about the exhibition early in 2007, Muldoon was the politican who seemed to have left the most vivid impression, even among those who were very young at the time.

One of the factors contributing to Muldoon’s cultural survival is probably his ubiquity in the media. Not only was he one of the first politicians to make effective use of television (you can view the National Party’s notorious 1975 ‘Dancing Cossacks’ TV ad on nzhistory.net), but his distinctive features were eminently caricaturable. Every political cartoonist had their own Muldoon, and he was also impersonated on television (most memorably by David McPhail on the satirical shows A Week of It and McPhail and Gadsby). We’ve found this great toby jug bearing the unforgettable Muldoon countenance!

Robert Muldoon toby jug

By andrewlangridge | Posted in History | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

World War One Memorial Project Update

9 May 2008 – 3.23pm


We’re very impressed and gratified by the response so far to our World War One Memorial Project. Since its launch last month, we’ve had 95 images of New Zealand memorials contributed from all over the country.

The towns and cities so far represented are: Akaroa, Alexandra, Auckland, Cambridge, Eastbourne, Glenorchy, Hawera, Hokianga, Hunterville, Levin, Makara, Mangaweka, Matamata, Maxwell, Nelson, Opunaki, Pahiatua, Palmerston North, Patea, Picton, Pihana, Pirongia, Porirua, Portage, Rotorua, Shannon, Taihape, Te Aroha, Waverley, Wellington (National War Memorial, Brooklyn, Ataturk Memorial), and Woodville.

Have a look at the images on our Flickr site.

Many thanks to everyone who has participated to date. This is a long-term project, so we hope you’ll keep photographing New Zealand’s war memorials and posting them on Flickr, particularly if you live in an area that hasn’t been represented yet.

EDIT: This project is now closed.

By andrewlangridge | Posted in History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

The World War One Memorial Project

14 April 2008 – 11.27am


Brooklyn War Memorial, Wellington

One of the topics we’ll be exploring in the upcoming 20th Century History exhibition will be the impact of First World War deaths on New Zealand society.

More than 18,000 New Zealand soldiers died overseas during the war, but very few of their bodies came back, so the way in which their sacrifice was memorialised was very important for their family and friends back home. All over New Zealand, communities responded by building memorials to their local dead: more than 500 statues, obelisks, arches, civic buildings, and other monuments were dedicated to their memory.

We’d like to commemorate the spirit behind these memorials by asking communities of today to photograph their local World War One memorials. We will then present these photos – as a large-scale slideshow – in the 20th Century History exhibition.

If you’d like to contribute a photograph of your local World War One memorial to the exhibition, it’s easy.

To make the memorials look their best, the images need to be high-resolution (the minimum is 1024×768 pixels; more would be even better), in portrait format, preferably on their own, without people (though you’re welcome to send us lots of other kinds of shots as well). The photo above is an example of what we’re looking for. You can find your local memorials listed on nzhistory.net’s Memorials Register. And if you know of a World War One memorial that’s not on the register, please let us know.

We’ve created a group dedicated to the World War One Memorial Project on the photo website Flickr. More information about the Project can be found there, along with other examples of the kind of images we’re looking for. You can post your photos on the site and tell us about your experience of taking them. The forums attached to this Flickr group can be used to organise your photo session with other people in the area. You can also get in touch with your local RSA for information about local memorials and Anzac Day activities.

Although Anzac Day is a great time to memorialise your memorial, you can take your photo any time. At the end of April, we’ll let you know how it’s gone and what memorials (if any!) we would still like photographed.

If you have any questions about this project, post a response here, or contact us at: nzhistory@tepapa.govt.nz

EDIT: The World War One Memorial Project is now closed.

By andrewlangridge | Posted in History | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (12)
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