Resource 4.2A: Colonisation Timeline

Sources: Waitangi Tribunal district inquiry reports; Te Ara — the Encyclopedia of New Zealand; New Zealand History (nzhistory.govt.nz), Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Kaiako: the 1840 entry turns on the difference between the te reo Māori and English texts of te Tiriti — read both with ākonga rather than summarising the difference for them.

1840

Treaty of Waitangi signed: Different understandings between Māori and British texts create ongoing tensions.

1840s-1860s

Land Wars: British colonial government uses military force to take Māori land when legal purchases fail.

1860s-1900

Massive Land Loss: Māori lose 95% of their land through confiscation, forced sales, and Crown purchasing.

1907

Tohunga Suppression Act: Traditional Māori healers and spiritual leaders criminalized.

1960s-1970s

Urban Migration: Māori forced into cities, leading to cultural disruption and identity challenges.

1975-Present

Treaty Claims Process: Waitangi Tribunal established to address historical grievances and ongoing injustices.

📚 Teacher Resource Notes

Purpose: Use this timeline to help students visualise the chronology of colonisation events in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will engage with this resource to build understanding of systems, governance, and civic action in Aotearoa New Zealand, connecting to Te Ao Māori principles.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ Students can place at least five key events on a timeline and describe their significance.
✅ Students can explain how colonisation disrupted Māori social systems.

🌿 Mātauranga Māori Lens

This timeline documents events that profoundly affected tangata whenua. The concept of hītori (history) in te ao Māori is living and relational — not distant past. Approach with care; for many Māori students this is whānau history.

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Differentiation: Provide sentence starters or word banks for students who need scaffold support. Extend capable learners by asking them to find a real-world NZ example connected to this resource. Support ELL students with vocabulary pre-teaching. Adapt for neurodiverse learners by offering choice in how they record their thinking.

Prior knowledge: Best used after the relevant lesson or as an introductory hook. No specialist prior knowledge required.

Curriculum alignment

Te Mātaiaho (2025) · Social Sciences · Phase 3 (Years 7–8) · History (Knowledge): “Exclusion of most Māori men from the political system and voting due to the property-based franchise and Māori communal landholding practices. Traditional leadership structures based on mana and whakapapa were not incorporated into colonial governance frameworks, contributing to differing understandings and reduced representation.”
NZC (2007) · Social Studies · Level 4: “Understand that events have causes and effects.”