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Story: Taupori Māori – Māori population change

Young Māori

Young Māori

This portrait of an unknown young Māori chief was painted by Sydney Parkinson during James Cook's circumnavigation of New Zealand on his ship the Endeavourin 1769. At this time high birth and death rates among Māori produced a relatively stable, young population.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0037-16

by Sydney Parkinson

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Ian Pool rāua ko Tahu Kukutai, Taupori Māori – Māori population change – Population changes, 1769–1840, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/27487/young-maori (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ian Pool rāua ko Tahu Kukutai, published 10 May 2011.

Comments

Patricia Te Arapo Wallace
26 November 2022
Sydney Parkinson (1745–1771) was the botanical artist employed by Joseph Banks on board Endeavour. He died at sea before the ship returned to Britain. He was not an engraver, and Banks did not allow him to use coloured paint for other than botanical works. The image shown above is an engraving after Parkinson's original pen & wash image 'Portrait of a New Zeland [sic] Man' which is now held in the British Library (Add. MS 23920, f.55). It was made by Thomas Chambers (1724?-1789) in England after Cook's voyage returned. Chambers was engaged to produce illustrations for publication, and sometimes made changes which are evident when his work is compared to the originals.