Plan of country sections, Wanganui, 1842

Plan of country sections, Wanganui, 1842

This map shows the planned land holdings around the New Zealand Company settlement of Wanganui, in 1842. The intention was to create a society of small independent landowners. However, the realities of Māori land ownership and rough terrain made it impossible to establish this neat arrangement of small farmers. The very straight roads, ignoring the hilly terrain around Wanganui, demonstrate the plan’s lack of realism.