title: Imaging and Imagining the Waikato: A Spatial History c.1800-c.1914

authors: Dench, Simon Jeffery

subjects: colonisation

abstract: This thesis reframes the history of the Waikato from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries through a spatial history approach using a visual archive. I argue that Pākehā images of the Waikato were both contemporary records and instruments of colonisation in the region, and that the discursive power of these images is undiminished. In this thesis I focus on spatial occasions represented by maps and photographs in order to reframe the history of colonisation in the Waikato.
First, I move visual sources of historical evidence, specifically maps and photographs, from the periphery to the centre of the frame. An exploration of
the historical context of the selected maps and photographs serves as the narrative framework for the thesis in a strategy that replaces the more usual method of choosing images to illustrate a text that has already been written. This theoretical and methodological framework for what I consider to be a richer and more satisfying use of visual evidence in history is a key feature of this thesis. Second, I employ a colonisation lens to emphasise the negative consequences of colonisation for the indigenous people and landscapes, as well as the diverse and far from unproblematic experiences of the colonists themselves. This thesis positions three phases of Pākehā colonisation: Reconnaissance, Invasion and Occupation. These overtly militaristic labels apply to real military actions as well as to less obvious but longer-lasting and wider-spread discursive strategies of incursion and control.
While this thesis emphasises the negative impacts of colonisation, this is a history from the colonisers’ point of view. The images that form the focus of the thesis were created by Pākehā in the service of Pākehā intentions, actions and identities. But, rather than serving to justify or excuse colonisation as an end that justified the means, I undermine the inevitability inherent in the traditional settlement narrative. I do this by highlighting the ambiguities and contradictions of the colonisers’ intentions and experiences through a close and contextualised reading of the images they made to record and represent themselves. In the process, I refute the legitimacy and validity of Pākehā claims to control Waikato spaces.

text: Imaging and Imagining the Waikato: A Spatial History c.1800-c.1914 This thesis reframes the history of the Waikato from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries through a spatial history approach using a visual archive. I argue that Pākehā images of the Waikato were both contemporary records and instruments of colonisation in the region, and that the discursive power of these images is undiminished. In this thesis I focus on spatial occasions represented by maps and photographs in order to reframe the history of colonisation in the Waikato.
First, I move visual sources of historical evidence, specifically maps and photographs, from the periphery to the centre of the frame. An exploration of
the historical context of the selected maps and photographs serves as the narrative framework for the thesis in a strategy that replaces the more usual method of choosing images to illustrate a text that has already been written. This theoretical and methodological framework for what I consider to be a richer and more satisfying use of visual evidence in history is a key feature of this thesis. Second, I employ a colonisation lens to emphasise the negative consequences of colonisation for the indigenous people and landscapes, as well as the diverse and far from unproblematic experiences of the colonists themselves. This thesis positions three phases of Pākehā colonisation: Reconnaissance, Invasion and Occupation. These overtly militaristic labels apply to real military actions as well as to less obvious but longer-lasting and wider-spread discursive strategies of incursion and control.
While this thesis emphasises the negative impacts of colonisation, this is a history from the colonisers’ point of view. The images that form the focus of the thesis were created by Pākehā in the service of Pākehā intentions, actions and identities. But, rather than serving to justify or excuse colonisation as an end that justified the means, I undermine the inevitability inherent in the traditional settlement narrative. I do this by highlighting the ambiguities and contradictions of the colonisers’ intentions and experiences through a close and contextualised reading of the images they made to record and represent themselves. In the process, I refute the legitimacy and validity of Pākehā claims to control Waikato spaces.

year: 2018

title: Redefining taonga: The Treaty Principles Bill and its potential impact on the status of te reo Māori

authors: Carter, Wayne Ngahuka

abstract: This thesis explores the potential impact of Aotearoa New Zealand’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill on the recognition and protection of te reo Māori (Māori language) as a taonga under the Treaty of Waitangi. This research examines the redefinition of fundamental Treaty principles as outlined in the bill, specifically addressing important questions concerning how the transition from partnership, protection and participation towards a focus in equal rights might influence both the legal standing and the cultural status of te reo Māori. With a quantitative methodology approach, this study draws from a range of sources, including legislative policies, political documents, historical records, and academic analysis, to evaluate the impacts and risks this bill could impose. A comparative analysis study with international examples of indigenous language protection provides broader insights into the potential effects on Māori language revitalisation efforts and te reo Māori and its status under the 2016 Māori Language Act. Early findings indicate that the Treaty Principles Bill has ignited considerable debate throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, emphasising tensions between traditional interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi and framework proposed by the Act Party. Māori rights advocates and public debates express worries that the bill could diminish current protection and reduce advancements achieved for te reo Māori as a taonga. Critics argue that redefining these principles might fracture Māori-Crown relationships, possibly weakening differences and impacting New Zealand’s governance and national identity. This debate emphasises the challenging task of restoring New Zealand’s colonial past with its modern goals for fairness and equality. As Parliament reviews this legislation, it is confronted with a crucial decision that will influence the future direction of Aotearoa New Zealand.

text: Redefining taonga: The Treaty Principles Bill and its potential impact on the status of te reo Māori This thesis explores the potential impact of Aotearoa New Zealand’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill on the recognition and protection of te reo Māori (Māori language) as a taonga under the Treaty of Waitangi. This research examines the redefinition of fundamental Treaty principles as outlined in the bill, specifically addressing important questions concerning how the transition from partnership, protection and participation towards a focus in equal rights might influence both the legal standing and the cultural status of te reo Māori. With a quantitative methodology approach, this study draws from a range of sources, including legislative policies, political documents, historical records, and academic analysis, to evaluate the impacts and risks this bill could impose. A comparative analysis study with international examples of indigenous language protection provides broader insights into the potential effects on Māori language revitalisation efforts and te reo Māori and its status under the 2016 Māori Language Act. Early findings indicate that the Treaty Principles Bill has ignited considerable debate throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, emphasising tensions between traditional interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi and framework proposed by the Act Party. Māori rights advocates and public debates express worries that the bill could diminish current protection and reduce advancements achieved for te reo Māori as a taonga. Critics argue that redefining these principles might fracture Māori-Crown relationships, possibly weakening differences and impacting New Zealand’s governance and national identity. This debate emphasises the challenging task of restoring New Zealand’s colonial past with its modern goals for fairness and equality. As Parliament reviews this legislation, it is confronted with a crucial decision that will influence the future direction of Aotearoa New Zealand.

year: 2025

title: Constructing the Feminine: The Creation of Female Identity in New Zealand Fantasy Fiction

authors: Warner, Kimberley Joy

subjects: fantasy fiction

abstract: Very little has been written about the construction of female identity in contemporary New Zealand fantasy fiction. Focusing on a select group of authors and texts, this thesis seeks to explore some of the issues that heroines experience while seeking to create a complete, integrated identity in the face of social ostracism and oppression. The intention is to understand why identity is such a focal point of interest in fiction written by women for women.

Alienation and forced assimilation are highlighted as being key obstructions to a heroine’s quest to understand her potential and place in the world. The ultimatum that her differences be physically and symbolically eradicated so that she can fit within the parameters of ideal femininity or else be crushed by the patriarchal hegemony drives the need for a third option: to escape to a magical sanctuary.

Fantasy is special for its ability to offer training grounds for heroines, which are represented through magical spaces. However, each of the texts examined illustrate that these sanctuaries are just escapes and must be relinquished if a woman is to have any real place in the world. Hence, a metamorphosis of self must occur while she is within her training ground so that she can return to the real world with confidence.
 
Finally, the fantasy quest is critically examined in terms of its structure and how each stage or ordeal relates to the construction and eventual realisation of female identity. At heart, this thesis is about female empowerment, agency, and transformation.

text: Constructing the Feminine: The Creation of Female Identity in New Zealand Fantasy Fiction Very little has been written about the construction of female identity in contemporary New Zealand fantasy fiction. Focusing on a select group of authors and texts, this thesis seeks to explore some of the issues that heroines experience while seeking to create a complete, integrated identity in the face of social ostracism and oppression. The intention is to understand why identity is such a focal point of interest in fiction written by women for women.

Alienation and forced assimilation are highlighted as being key obstructions to a heroine’s quest to understand her potential and place in the world. The ultimatum that her differences be physically and symbolically eradicated so that she can fit within the parameters of ideal femininity or else be crushed by the patriarchal hegemony drives the need for a third option: to escape to a magical sanctuary.

Fantasy is special for its ability to offer training grounds for heroines, which are represented through magical spaces. However, each of the texts examined illustrate that these sanctuaries are just escapes and must be relinquished if a woman is to have any real place in the world. Hence, a metamorphosis of self must occur while she is within her training ground so that she can return to the real world with confidence.
 
Finally, the fantasy quest is critically examined in terms of its structure and how each stage or ordeal relates to the construction and eventual realisation of female identity. At heart, this thesis is about female empowerment, agency, and transformation.

year: 2015