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Story: Te Māori i te ohanga – Māori in the economy

South Island land sales

  • 1844

    1844

  • 1848

    1848

  • 1849

    1849

  • 1854

    1854

  • 1856

    1856

  • 1857

    1857

  • 1859

    1859

  • 1860

    1860

  • 1864

    1864

This map shows purchases of Māori land between 1844 and 1864, by which time almost the entire South Island was in government or settler ownership. This loss of land prevented Māori in the South Island from taking a full part in the economic development of the island.

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

Basil Keane, Te Māori i te ohanga – Māori in the economy – The alienation of Māori land, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/25774/south-island-land-sales (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 12 April 2010.