Story: Roads

Māori road workers

Māori road workers

A Māori family of road workers poses outside their camp on the road to Lake Waikaremoana in the 1890s. From the 1860s and 1870s the government deliberately used Māori to build roads. This kept them occupied, broke up their lands and facilitated quick movement of troops in case of trouble.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Polynesian Society Collection
Reference: PAColl-7273-01

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Roads - Early roads', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/23290/maori-road-workers (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 11 Mar 2010, updated 1 Mar 2016