Story: Law of the foreshore and seabed

Māori in the Kaipara

Māori in the Kaipara

When Kaipara Māori demanded rent for the use of a shellfish bed in 1855, settlers resisted in the belief that the seabed was public land. In this watercolour of the Kaipara Harbour (in Northland) by William Fox, painted nine years later, Ngāti Whātua are clearly using the harbour for their own activities.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: WC-007-1
Watercolour by William Fox

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:

Mark Hickford, 'Law of the foreshore and seabed - The English legal tradition', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/8526/maori-in-the-kaipara (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Mark Hickford, published 12 Jun 2006, updated 1 Jan 2015