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Story: Te tango whenua – Māori land alienation

Te Waka Maori o Aotearoa advertisements

These advertisements appeared in an 1884 issue of the Māori-language newspaper Te Waka Maori o Aotearoa. All are from Pākehā shopkeepers looking to attract Māori business. At least two of the ads are addressed to ‘my Māori friends’ emphasising how ‘ngāwari’ or cheap their prices are. Shopkeepers often encouraged Māori to buy goods on credit, aiming to be repaid when Māori land was taken through the Native Land Court.

Using this item

Niupepa: Maori newspapers

Reference: Te Waka Maori o Aotearoa, 24 March, 1884, p. 8

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How to cite this page

Richard Boast, Te tango whenua – Māori land alienation – The Native Land Court in practice, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/19529/te-waka-maori-o-aotearoa-advertisements (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Richard Boast, published 1 March 2009, updated 1 July 2015.