Story: East Coast region

In the aftermath of the fighting in Poverty Bay in 1865–66, the colonial government decided to confiscate the land of 'rebels' and individualise and settle title to all other Māori land in Poverty Bay. This map shows the extent of land that was to be confiscated and the approximate size of the remaining tribal land holdings. Most of the land to be confiscated was in Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki territory and amounted to hundreds of thousands of hectares. In the event a smaller amount – around 22,700 hectares – was confiscated. But the settling of title to another half million hectares produced much disquiet amongst Māori because of the many injustices that the process brought in its wake.