Quote Originally Posted by Riverkilt View Post
Welcome,

Everything I know about New Zealand I learned from Once Were Warriors...
Not too far off!

Actually, one branch of my family sailed there from Nova Scotia, but sadly, that line died out the first generation.

They went to Inglewood, Teramaki (Taranaki about middle of the North Island near Mt Cook formerly but now ) about 1860. Have a letter home from there dated April 26, 1912. "Inglewood is a nice little borough. I was here when there were only two houses [1902] and now we have a population of 1400. We have good waterworks and electric light in every room and the country is full of motor cars." "There is no poverty in New Zealand. The poor as well as the righ chave plenty to eat. Any person unable to work or make a living the Charitable Aid Board takes them in hand and they are well provided for.

http://www.lochinver.bordernet.co.uk/history/macleod.html (Go to this link for a brief history of Rev Norman McLeod whom lead the migration to New Zealand from Nova Scotia via Australia.)

I must now say something about the Native race the Maoris. In 1860 there was a war between the Natives and the White people but as ususal the Natives got the worst of it. And since that war we are on the best of terms with them. They are a noble race, very intelligent and physically they excell the Whites. Gaelic is not spoken here. I never spoke 20 words of Gaelic since I came to New Zealand. In the south Islands where the Scots settled they speak Gaelic fluently." Should have gone to Waipu as still spoken thereHe adds a footnote, "What a sad affair the Titanic Disaster.'

Ron
My great grandfather(english born Salford County, Lancashire but grew up and lived in Springfield, Mass) travelled in 1911 to NZ with his scottish/us wife and their daughter, then became the first Chairman of the One Tree Point Early Settlers Association. 10 minutes north of Waipu where alot of Caledonians settled.
Other Scottish families went Christchurch ad Dunedin, Taranaki for farming, Auckland for industry, and Waipu for farming and cottage industry.
Others went South Island and spread quickly as Maori started to accept Christianity...and the Pakeha /white spirit people... were more than welcomed, a few eaten, but most lived in peace with Maori except in Taranaki many wars were fierce, brutal and required freindly Maori to finally capture the local rebel chief and a great film named UTU (which translates to Revenge in Maori ).

My great grandfather wrote his memoirs at the age of 72 about growing up in Springfield, travelling the US as he started working and then how he ended up in NZ. He helped alot of the Maori in my home area and they became one of the first pakeha to be buried in an all Maori cemetary in 1936, which is a very great honour bestowed upon them.
I am blessed for having all the knowledge recorded for me and since I have lived in the US been reunited with long lost relatives whom had been searching for us for over 70 years.
We reconnected through my long lost cousin whom recognised our family name on our embassy website not long after 9/11 so I will never forget that year.
I then received letters and copies of photographs of my entire great grandfathers parents and bothers and sisters, which the cousin whom contact me gave me a lipping of my great great grandfathers obituary dated 13 Aug 1944 stating "Oldest American Legionaire Dies", and I learnt of my war hero great great grandfather whom joined the British 5th Dragoons at the age of 11, going to Egpyt a few years later where they were having a "bit of trouble with the arab tribesman," (will we ever have peace there?)

However Maori were cunning in warfare tactics and feared for hand to hand combat though and some of the tales quite remarkable and the British had to concede they could not win by fighting them hence the first written contract with an ideginous race in British history, called the Treaty of Waitangi where most of the Paramount Chiefs of the main tribes were asked to sign 6 February 1870 now called New Zealand Day. However they could not read and the interpretation told to them was different to what they signed.
It was said their royalty was equal to the british sovereignty and all maori people would be acknowledged as equal subjects as british.
However the written treaty stated that the British Royal family were to be acknowledged as the governing and reigning family.
It then took till 1990 and many Lords Courts appeals back in England to finally put some of this to corrective action, including a personal apology from Queen Elizabeth II, and a 1billion dollar fiscal envelope for lands, forest nd fishig rights taken or leased by Government then sold without the consent of the original maori tribes owners that originally claimed ownership of the land.
However ownership is actually gaurdianship to most maori as we are merely are the caretakers of this earth, not the landlords. However ownership was excepted as Maori Land titles given claimed,disputed, returned or repurchased.
I think NZ is the great big melting pot of the world and a great ambassador to the rest of the world that different cultures, religions, creeds can co exist peacefully. OR GET DEPORTED!!!!!!!!