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Story: Ngā tāone nui – Māori and the city

Land purchases in the South Island, 1844–1864

  • 1844

    1844
  • 1848

    1848
  • 1849

    1849
  • 1854

    1854
  • 1856

    1856
  • 1857

    1857
  • 1859

    1859
  • 1860

    1860
  • 1864

    1864

Ngāi Tahu owned most of the South Island in 1840 but had lost control of their lands by the 1860s. Many of the promised reserves were not provided when the land was surveyed. This severely impacted their ability to trade with the new settlers.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

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

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How to cite this page

Aroha Harris, Ngā tāone nui – Māori and the city – Cities and Māori land, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/24842/land-purchases-in-the-south-island-1844-1864 (accessed 8 June 2026).

Story by Aroha Harris, published 24 January 2011, updated 1 September 2024.