Story: Housing and government

Māori hostel

Māori hostel

Pākehā prejudice meant Māori had difficulty finding accommodation while visiting towns and cities. Governments sought to overcome this problem by building 'native hostelries' in main centres where visiting Māori could stay for free, as long as they obeyed hostel rules. This is the Auckland hostel (right) in Mechanics Bay, about 1860. The building featured a covered area at the front where visiting Māori traders could display produce and wares. Waka (Māori canoes) are beached in the foreground.

Using this item

Auckland City Libraries - Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: 4-2730
Photograph by James D. Richardson

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Ben Schrader, 'Housing and government - Immigration barracks to workers’ dwellings', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/32389/maori-hostel (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Ben Schrader, published 20 Jun 2012