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Story: Te tango whenua – Māori land alienation

Southern purchases of Māori land

  • 1844

    1844

  • 1848

    1848

  • 1849

    1849

  • 1854

    1854

  • 1856

    1856

  • 1857

    1857

  • 1859

    1859

  • 1860

    1860

  • 1864

    1864

This map shows the vast areas of land sold to Europeans in the South Island between 1844 and 1860. Almost the entire island was purchased, but promises to Ngāi Tahu of reserves were not honoured.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Reference: Bronwyn Dalley and Gavin McLean, Frontier of Dreams. Auckland: Hachette Livre NZ, 2005, p. 157

Source: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1865, G-3.

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

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How to cite this page

Richard Boast, Te tango whenua – Māori land alienation – Crown pre-emption, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/19518/southern-purchases-of-maori-land (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Richard Boast, published 1 March 2009, updated 1 July 2015.