Story: Ngā take Māori – government policy and Māori

A rowboat hauls a raft of kauri logs towards the ship Francis Spaightfrom a timber yard in Kohukohu, Hokianga, in this 1839 painting. The logs, known as spars, were used as ships' masts and were among New Zealand's earliest exports. Commercial trading of this kind dominated Britain's official dealings with Māori in the period before the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.