Story: Te reo Māori – the Māori language

Māori and Pākehā whānau

Māori and Pākehā whānau

This photo shows a mixed Māori and Pākehā whānau – the Haberfield family – from the South Island in the late 1880s. Early European sailors, whalers, sealers and traders who interacted with Māori often became proficient in te reo Māori. When they married into Māori communities this became even more important.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Natusch Collection
Reference: 1/2-066206-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Rawinia Higgins and Basil Keane, 'Te reo Māori – the Māori language - Pākehā engagement with te reo, 1769 to 1840s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/41066/maori-and-pakeha-whanau (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Rawinia Higgins and Basil Keane, published 5 Sep 2013, updated 1 Sep 2015