A Separate Authority (He Mana Motuhake), Volume II - by Steven Webster (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Following on from Volume I on the formation of the Urewera District Native Reserve, this monograph examines the period from 1908 to 1926, during which time the Crown subverted Tūhoe control of the UDNR, established a mere decade earlier. While Volume I described how the Tūhoe were able to deploy kin-based power to manipulate Crown power as well as confront one another, this volume describes ways in which the same ancestral descent groups closed ranks to survive nearly two decades of predatory Crown policies determined to dismantle their sanctuary. A relentless Crown campaign to purchase individual Tūhoe land shares ultimately resulted in a misleading Crown scheme to consolidate and relocate Tūhoe land shares, thereby freeing up land for the settlement of non- Tūhoe farmers. By the 1950s, over 200 small Tūhoe blocks were scattered throughout one of the largest National Parks in New Zealand. Although greatly weakened by these policies in terms of kinship solidarity as well as land and other resources, Tūhoe resistance continued until the return of the entire park in 2014--with unreserved apologies and promises of future support.

In both volumes of A Separate Authority (He Mana Motuhake), Webster takes the stance of an ethnohistorian: he not only examines the various ways control over the Urewera District Native Reserve (UDNR) was negotiated, subverted or betrayed, and renegotiated during this time period, but also focuses on the role of Māori hapū, ancestral descent groups and their leaders, including the political economic influence of extensive marriage alliances between them. The ethnohistorical approach developed here may be useful to other studies of governance, indigenous resistance, and reform, whether in New Zealand or elsewhere.

From the Back Cover

"Tūhoe mana motuhake vs the force of New Zealand colonialism. This is a patient and perceptive work unraveling stratagems of contrasting ambition so we may comprehend the cultural instincts of 1890-1920 Aotearoa. Dr. Webster proves his deep understanding of kinship dynamics, hapū politics and the Tūhoe passion for autonomy."

--Tāmati Kruger, Representative in the Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, New Zealand

Following on from Volume I on the formation of the Urewera District Native Reserve, this monograph examines the period from 1908 to 1926, during which time the Crown subverted Tūhoe control of the UDNR, established a mere decade earlier. While Volume I described how the Tūhoe were able to deploy kin-based power to manipulate Crown power as well as confront one another, this volume describes ways in which the same ancestral descent groups closed ranks to survive nearly two decades of predatory Crown policies determined to dismantle their sanctuary. A relentless Crown campaign to purchase individual Tūhoe land shares ultimately resulted in a misleading Crown scheme to consolidate and relocate Tūhoe land shares, thereby freeing up land for the settlement of non- Tūhoe farmers. By the 1950s, over 200 small Tūhoe blocks were scattered throughout one of the largest National Parks in New Zealand. Although greatly weakened by these policies in terms of kinship solidarity as well as land and other resources, Tūhoe resistance continued until the return of the entire park in 2014--with unreserved apologies and promises of future support.

About the Author

Steven Webster, PhD, is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where he taught Social Anthropology and Māori Studies before his retirement. Since the 1980s, he has been closely involved in issues of Māori land, Māori history, ethnic politics, and political economy in New Zealand.