Story: Te ture – Māori and legislation

Raupatu – confiscated lands

The blue lines on this 1869 map of the North Island mark off the main areas of land that the Crown seized from its Māori owners after the wars of the 1860s. Smaller parcels of land outside these boundaries were also confiscated. The Crown's claimed grounds for these punitive confiscations were that the landowners had been 'in rebellion' against the government. However, much accessible and fertile land was selected for confiscation even though its owners had not fought against the Crown.

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Auckland City Libraries – Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: NZ Map 471

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Rāwiri Taonui, 'Te ture – Māori and legislation - Laws affecting Māori land', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/36535/raupatu-confiscated-lands (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 20 Jun 2012