From the late 1830s the British-based New Zealand Company actively recruited settlers to colonise New Zealand. Their first settlement was in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, which settlers called Port Nicholson (later Wellington), in January 1840. This painting shows the company’s vessels exploring the harbour at Tasman’s Gulf (later Nelson) in 1841, in preparation for a second settlement. These ambitious and sometimes unscrupulous commercial activities put pressure on the British government and colonial officials to sign a treaty with Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
Using this item
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference:
B-043-018
Watercolour by Charles Heaphy
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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