Te Kingitanga : The People of the Maori King Movement

Te Kingitanga documents the struggle with colonial authority, the confiscation of over a million acres, the establishment of aukati (the King’s boundary), the period of self-imposed isolation in which the principles of the kingdom were developed, the refusal to compromise, and the efforts to regain what was lost. This history also records the resurgence of the movement in the twentieth century. To Maori followers in the nineteenth century, the King movement represented a sacred pact between the king and subjects; it established territories over which the King’s writ would run; it was the guardian of its subjects’ lands and the repository of mana for the Maori people. It was the Maori kingdom of Aotearoa. To Pakeha, it was a land league to shut out settlement, a treacherous rebellion against Queen Victoria, and a dissident attempt at self-government. Some observers wrote it off as a failure even when it had barely begun. A hundred years later it was still a vigorous force in New Zealand society; more than 140 years later the King movement combines the non-negotiable principles of mana Maori with the leadership of its people. It’s achievements are recorded and celebrated in this book. These biographies from the first three volumes of The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography are introduced by a brief history of the King movement by Angela Ballara. The first imprint of Te Kingitanga was produced with the support of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, Sir Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta and the Tainui Maori Trust Board.