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Story: Northland region

Māori chiefs in Sydney

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Māori chiefs in Sydney

Following the establishment of a penal colony in New South Wales in 1788, Māori became involved in timber and flax trading ventures, and some visited Sydney. This 1823 aquatint shows cloaked Māori chiefs standing in the garden of Sydney hospital.

Using this item

National Library of Australia, Rex Nan Kivell Collection

Reference: NK259/B

by Robert Havell

Permission of the National Library of Australia must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Claudia Orange, Northland region – First Māori–European encounters, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/7570/maori-chiefs-in-sydney (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Claudia Orange, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 May 2015.