The Fight for Aotearoa Against Settler Colonialism: The Māori Perspective
Date
2025
Authors
Markowsky, Serena
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Publisher
University Of Victoria
Abstract
Settler colonialism within the landscape of Aotearoa (New Zealand) has implicated Māori and British settlers (Pākehā) into a strenuous relationship that has produced intergenerational tensions that continue to inflict a legacy of oppression onto the Indigenous peoples. Through the introduction of the Treaty of Waitangi, British officials aimed to create a unified nation that had absolute power of sovereignty over Māori lands. The significance of this political act hinged on the differing Māori translation that guaranteed Māori chiefs continual chieftainship over their lands and the co-collaboration between Māori chiefs and British officials in the signing of the document. The misrepresentation of this treaty allowed colonial systems to be implemented and enforced on the Māori which changed the power and relational dynamics between the two groups. Within this research paper, I examine the implications the Treaty of Waitangi had on the colonial relationship between the Māori people and the British settlers pre- and post-treaty. Throughout my argument, I seek to investigate the social, economic, and cultural ramifications the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi had on the Māori and how these effects historically and presently remain of cultural significance/relevance. First, I will highlight the differences in treatment of both Māori and British settlers pre and post-treaty and how the relationship dynamics changed. Secondly, I examine the economic disparities that have resulted from the relocation of Māori settlements, racial discrimination and equal access to resources and opportunities. Lastly, I reflect on the changes in Māori cultural practices which continue to reinforce the impact the Treaty has on Māori ways of life historically and presently.
Description
Keywords
settler colonialism, Treaty of Waitangi, Māori, Pākehā, sovereignty, chieftainship