Story: Intellectuals

Edward Tregear's The Maori race

Edward Tregear's The Maori race

In 1926 Edward Tregear, the former secretary of labour, published The Maori race. It was dedicated to the ethnographer Elsdon Best, and had a preface by S. Percy Smith, president of the Polynesian Society. Smith noted that a single book on Māori had long been lacking, and that those wishing to learn about the subject had been forced instead to 'search the thirty-six volumes of the New Zealand Institute, the thirteen volumes of the Journal of the Polynesian Society' and various other works. Smith, Best and Tregear had been among those who had founded the Polynesian Society in 1892 to study Māori and Polynesian subjects. The book was a testament to the existence of a community of scholars who shared an interest in local ethnology.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference: Edward Tregear, The Maori race. Wanganui: A. D. Willis, 1904.

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.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Chris Hilliard, 'Intellectuals - Learned societies and journals, 1890s to 1930s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/object/42340/edward-tregears-the-maori-race (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Chris Hilliard, published 22 Oct 2014