DOCSLIB.ORG

August 2010 PROTECTION of AUTHOR

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
August 2010 PROTECTION of AUTHOR THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY PROTECTION OF AUTHOR ’S COPYRIGHT This copy has been supplied by the Library of the University of Otago on the understanding that the following conditions will be observed: 1. To comply with s56 of the Copyright Act 1994 [NZ], this thesis copy must only be used for the purposes of research or private study. 2. The author's permission must be obtained before any material in the thesis is reproduced, unless such reproduction falls within the fair dealing guidelines of the Copyright Act 1994. Due acknowledgement must be made to the author in any citation. 3. No further copies may be made without the permission of the Librarian of the University of Otago. August 2010 Powhlri: A face - to - face encounter. Colleen Leacock-Johnson A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Education (Teaching) Of the Otago University College of Education December, 2007 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank those who have contributed to the completion of this research. Ki toku kaumatua ki a Huata Holmes, nona i tu hei tuara moku. Te aroha atu ki a ia. Ki oku kaiwhakahaere ki a Ruth Gasson raua ko Julie Lawrence. Nga mihi ki a raua mo 0 raua arahitanga. He wahine atawhai, a, ka tino matau raua ki nga rapunga korero e pa ana ki te tirohanga nei. Ki nga kaiwhakauru, ka umere ratou mo te tirohanga nei. He mihi mahana, aroha hoki ki a ratou. Ki taku tama, a Adam. He awhina nui ona korero pukapuka, tuhituhi whai tikanga hoki. Ki nga tangata 0 te Komiti Whanaketanga 0 te Mahi. Hei whakamutunga e hiahia ana ahau kit e mihi ki a ratou, To Huata Holmes who has stood as a constant support for me during this investigation. My most grateful thanks go to him. To my supervisors, Ruth Gasson and Julie Lawrence, I thank them both for their caring, knowledgeable guidance. The efforts they have made have, without a doubt, enabled the completion of this investigation. Thank you to all the participants who gave generously of their time. It is their reflections which have provided a voice for this research. Thank you also to my son Adam who offered invaluable support as proof reader. His no nonsense attitude to writing was a boon. Finally thanks go to the Dunedin College of Education! University of Otago College of Education Professional Development Committee for the funding and workload support that enabled me to complete this investigation. i ABSTRACT The ceremony ofpowhiri has become a regular feature of welcome ceremonies in present day AotearoalNew Zealand, including within government funded organizations. This study is centered on the exploration of the experiences of beginning students in relation to the Dunedin College of Education 2006 powhiri. Firstly we look at the position of the researcher in relation to things Maori and to the ceremony at the heart of the study. Next we examine traditional understandings of powhiri and underlying issues concerning the integration ofthe ceremony into mainstream culture and government institutions in this country. Individual interviews are used as the method to gain a rich depth of information related to the participants' feelings, thoughts and experiences as they relate to the focus of this study. The emergent research design of the study allowed me to respond to the inquiry progressively, and to gather data using open ended probes in response to participant dialogue. Fifteen participant interviews were conducted. The data was collated from each interview in order to provide the reader with an authentic picture of the experience of each participant in relation to the powhiri. Within the study the reader is provided with opportunities to gain a glimpse of the background and culture of each participant. The data is presented using participant voice which provides trustworthiness in the findings of the study. ii Throughout this study a tuakana - teina stance was taken, firstly in relation to my consultation with Huata Holmes and Anna Marsich, and secondly in my associations with the participants. Huata holds expert knowledge of te ao Maori, Anna held the knowledge ofthe history of the inclusion ofpowhiri at the Dunedin College of Education. The participants were considered the experts, in relation to their own thoughts and experiences. The role of teina ­ person seeking knowledge, remained with me. The underlying theoretical foundation of the study is social constructivism, where meaning is shaped through interaction between individuals and in relation to their previous experience. This study provided the opportunity to explore individual participant's perceptions and experience of the powhiri. The findings lead on to avenues for discussion and further study. In keeping with the tuakana - teina stance, findings were sent to Huata Holmes for his consideration. The findings were also shared with College of Education management and academic staff. The reader should note that te reo Maori (Maori language) is used regularly throughout this thesis. Each word/ phrase is translated or explained in English the first time it appears. A glossary ofMaori terms is provided for the reader to refer to as needed. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments........................................................................................................... 1 Abstract............................................................................................................................... 11 Table of Contents............................................................................................................. IV Chapter One: Introduction............................................................................................ 1 Chapter Two: Literature Review 19 Chapter Three: The College Powhiri 2006 46 Chapter Four: Methodology 63 Chapter Five: The Context 84 Chapter Six: Findings 97 Chapter Seven: Where To From Here7,................................................................. 148 Glossary of Maori terms............................................................................................. 162 Bibliography 171 Appendix One: (a) Written guide for personal introduction to Beginning Students....................................................................................... 182 (b) Letter to Beginning Students introducing the research....................................................................................... 184 Appendix Two: (a) Written guide for oral presentation following the powhiri........................................................................................ 186 (b) Research information sheet................................................. 188 (c) Introductory survey 191 (d) Consent form 192 Appendix Three: Thank you letter to Respondents........................................... 194 Appendix Four: First letter to Respondents to arrange interview times..... 195 Appendix Five: Second letter to Respondents to arrange interview times 197 iv Appendix Six: Introductory survey sheets showing individual participant responses,.......................................................................................... 199 Appendix Seven: Bank of Probes 219 LIST OF TABLES Table One: Insight into participant identity 86 LIST OF FIGURES Figure One: Physical setting for the powhiri showing seating arrangements, 55 Figure Two: Position and direction for the process of Hongi and Hariru 61 v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION This chapter provides an overview of the thesis in five parts. To begin with, "Personal precepts and stance" introduces me (the researcher). Secondly "'Insider' and 'outsider' views ofculture" sets out concerns allied to aspects of cross cultural research as it relates to this study. The third section "Aim of the research" establishes the reason the particular focus ofinquiry was selected, and the research aim and the core issues that the investigation was centered on. Subsequently, "Timelines " provides information related to the research procedure with five essential phases, and their precise times. Finally, "The structure ofthis thesis" makes known the seven chapters as fundamental constituents of the thesis. Personal precepts and stance Tena koe e hoa. He mihi mahana tenei ki a koe e korero pukapuka ana i te whakapae nei. No nga takiwa 0 Ingarangi, Airana, Iharaira, Koterana, Aotearoa hoki oku tiipuna. I whanau mai ahau i Tamaki makau rau engari kei Toi Tu toku kainga inaianei. Kei te Te Kura Akau Taitoka taku mahi. Ko Colleen toku mgoa. Hello to you friend. This is a warm greeting to you the reader. My ancestors are from England, Ireland, Israel, Scotland and New Zealand. I was born at Auckland but now live at Toi Tu. I work at The School of the 1 Southern Tides (Otago University College of Education) previously known as the Dunedin College ofEducation. My interest in the Dunedin College of Education powhiri ceremony stems from two different, but not unrelated micro-systems in which I operate in daily life. The first is my cultural identity. In this setting I am a Pakeha ofNew Zealand. I was born in this country and have lived here all my life, as have my parents and the majority of my grandparents. I have no other home country. I liken my stance to that expressed by the late Michael King (2003) in which he asserts that, for many Pakeha, there is a growing certainty that their culture is no longer the same as the cultures from which they began. That it has become a second indigenous culture by the same process through which Maori culture developed from its Polynesian roots. The process of "... transplanting imported concepts and values from one place to another,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Aotearoa - New Zealand
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive) Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities 2005 Aotearoa - New Zealand Evan S. Poata-Smith University of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/artspapers Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Poata-Smith, Evan S., Aotearoa - New Zealand 2005, 228-232. https://ro.uow.edu.au/artspapers/1506 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] 228 IWGIA - THE INDIGENOUS WORLD - 2005 AOTEAROA - NEW ZEALAND “Race relations” and the place of the Treaty of Waitangi as a blueprint for nation building were very much at the forefront of the national political agenda in 2004. The broad political consensus shared by both National and Labour-led governments in New Zealand over the past decade collapsed in the wake of the soaring political popularity of Don Brash, the new leader of the National Party, the main opposition po- litical party in the New Zealand Parliament. The legitimacy of policy initiatives and programmes that specifi- cally target Mãori in order to reduce the relative socio-economic dis- parities that exist between indigenous communities and other New Zealanders, and the role of the Treaty of Waitangi in managing con- temporary relationships between indigenous communities and the Crown, have come under sustained attack. The Treaty of Waitangi under threat The underlying theme of Brash’s widely reported speech to the Orewa Rotary Club in January 2004 was the apparent “threat” that the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process represented for the future of the coun- try.
    [Show full text]
  • Int Cerd Ngo Nzl 71 9826
    1 March 2007 Mylène Bidault Human Rights Officer CERD Secretariat United Nations UNOG-OHCHR CH-1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland By email: [email protected] SUBMISSION: NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT REPORT TO 71st SESSION, UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION – NGO SHADOW REPORT WHO WE ARE 1. This Shadow Report is made on behalf of a collective of iwi Māori /indigenous peoples’ Authorities in Tai Tokerau1 (the North of the North Island) of Aotearoa, New Zealand. 2. We write this submission having perused the Advance Unedited Version of the New Zealand Government’s 15th, 16th and 17th Consolidated Periodic Report to the CERD (the NZ Report) which covers the period 1 January 2000 to 22 December 2005.2 3. Contact details in regards to this Shadow Report are: Haami Piripi Chairperson Te Runanga o Te Rarawa PO Box 361 Kaitaia Northland Aotearoa, New Zealand Phone: (0064) 9408 1971 Fax: (0064) 9408 1998 Email: [email protected], [email protected]. 1 The four iwi included in this collective submission are Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu and Ngāti Kahu ki Whaingaroa (2006 census populations being 122,911, 14,895, 8,313 and 1,746 respectively). 2 CERD/C/NZL/17 16 May 2006 refers. Phone: (0064) 9 4081971 Fax: (0064) 9 4081998 Website: http://www.terarawa.co.nz e-mail: [email protected] GOVERNMENT POLICY AND GENERAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK (paras 5-10 of the NZ Report) 4. It has recently been observed that evidence today places New Zealand in the context of “a significant and disturbing increase of inequality”.3 The Government’s fundamentalist policy of eliminating discrimination in New Zealand is harming Māori (for example, see commentary below on paras 54 and 55 of the NZ Report).
    [Show full text]
  • Penguin History of New Zealand P.133
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by UC Research Repository ‘Like Iron Filings to a Magnet’: A Reappraisal of Michael King’s Approach to New Zealand History A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in History at the University of Canterbury by Halie McCaffrey University of Canterbury 2010 Contents Acknowledgements p.ii Abstract p.iv Introduction: Michael King: History Man p.1 Chapter One: ‘Being Pākehā’ in the Historiographical Dialogue of Nation and Identity in New Zealand p.9 Chapter Two: Mātauranga Pākehā: King’s Construction of a New Zealand Identity p.42 Chapter Three: Identity and the Landscape: Imagining New Zealand Through King’s Personal Experience of Place p.68 Chapter Four: King’s People: The Life Histories of New Zealanders p.92 Chapter Five: A Career Full Circle? A Discussion of The Penguin History of New Zealand p.133 Conclusion: Michael Row the Boat Ashore p.177 References Bibliography: Primary Sources p.181 Secondary Sources p.188 ii Acknowledgements The writing this thesis has been a difficult process: both academically and emotionally. The completion of this thesis has come down to a lot of support from different people in my life. I am very thankful to each one of them. At the beginning of this process I was diagnosed with dyslexia. SPLED Canterbury was great help to me during this process. Not only did they pay for my testing, they paid for a tutor to help me work on my weaknesses. I am so grateful to Christine Docherty who showed much compassion in re teaching me the basics of the English language.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effects of Proportional Representation on Election
    THE EFFECTS OF PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION ON ELECTION LAWMAKING IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND by Joshua Ferrer A Thesis Submitted to the Politics Programme University of Otago in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts January 2020 ii iii ABSTRACT It is widely recognized that most politicians are self-interested and desire election rules beneficial to their reelection. Although partisanship in electoral system reform is well- understood, the factors that encourage or constrain partisan manipulation of the other democratic “rules of the game”—including election administration, franchise laws, campaign finance, boundary drawing, and electoral governance—has received little scholarly attention to date. Aotearoa New Zealand remains the only established democracy to switch from a non-proportional to a proportional electoral system and thus presents a natural experiment to test the effects of electoral system change on the politics of election lawmaking. Using a longitudinal comparative case study analysis, this thesis examines partisan and demobilizing election reforms passed between 1970 and 1993 under first-past- the-post and between 1997 and 2018 under mixed-member proportional representation (MMP). Although partisan election reforms have not diminished under MMP, demobilizing reforms have become less common. Regression analysis uncovers evidence that partisan election lawmaking is more likely when the effective number of parties in parliament is lower, when non-voters have more leverage, and when reforms are pursued that diminish electoral participation. iv To Arthur Klatsky, with all my love v PREFACE This thesis would not be what it is without the generosity, time, and aroha of countless people. For the sake of the Otago Politics Department’s printing budget, I will attempt to be brief.
    [Show full text]
  • Manurau: a Conceptual Framework of Māori Leadership Practice in the New Zealand Public Sector
    Manurau: A conceptual framework of Māori leadership practice in the New Zealand public sector By Daryn Bean A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Government Victoria University of Wellington 2018 1 | Page Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 5 He Mihi ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Dedication .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... 9 Moe Mai Rā ...................................................................................................................................... 10 List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... 12 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ 12 Chapter One: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 13 Overview .............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Inequality and the 2014 New Zealand General Election
    A BARK BUT NO BITE INEQUALITY AND THE 2014 NEW ZEALAND GENERAL ELECTION A BARK BUT NO BITE INEQUALITY AND THE 2014 NEW ZEALAND GENERAL ELECTION JACK VOWLES, HILDE COFFÉ AND JENNIFER CURTIN Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at press.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Creator: Vowles, Jack, 1950- author. Title: A bark but no bite : inequality and the 2014 New Zealand general election / Jack Vowles, Hilde Coffé, Jennifer Curtin. ISBN: 9781760461355 (paperback) 9781760461362 (ebook) Subjects: New Zealand. Parliament--Elections, 2014. Elections--New Zealand. New Zealand--Politics and government--21st century. Other Creators/Contributors: Coffé, Hilde, author. Curtin, Jennifer C, author. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU Press This edition © 2017 ANU Press Contents List of figures . vii List of tables . xiii List of acronyms . xvii Preface and acknowledgements . .. xix 1 . The 2014 New Zealand election in perspective . .. 1 2. The fall and rise of inequality in New Zealand . 25 3 . Electoral behaviour and inequality . 49 4. The social foundations of voting behaviour and party funding . 65 5. The winner! The National Party, performance and coalition politics . 95 6 . Still in Labour . 117 7 . Greening the inequality debate . 143 8 . Conservatives compared: New Zealand First, ACT and the Conservatives .
    [Show full text]
  • Māori Perspectives on the Foreshore and Seabed Debate: a Dunedin Case Study
    MĀORI PERSPECTIVES ON THE FORESHORE AND SEABED DEBATE: A DUNEDIN CASE STUDY By Abby Suszko A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours), in Māori Studies at the University of Otago, Dunedin New Zealand October 2005 ii The area between high and low tides is known as the foreshore-takutai moana. It has some features of the land it borders and some characteristics of the sea beyond, but essentially its ecosystems, ecology, geology, and its mauri are unique. The foreshore is a gateway to the bounty of the sea, a playground for countless land dwellers, a source of food and wealth, and a site where local knowledge, tradition, and custom have evolved over the centuries.1 1 Mason Durie, Ngā Tai Matatū:Tides of Māori Endurance, (Auckland: Oxford University Press, 2005) p. 83 iii Acknowledgements To all those who have supported me in so many ways throughout this dissertation; I thank you all. Some gave information, others supplied new avenues for research and some provided physical and emotional support. I specifically wish to acknowledge and thank my supervisor, Dr. Jim Williams, who set me on the path that enabled my dissertation to materialize. Jim, thank you for all your help, guidance and reassurance. I will be forever grateful. I’d also like to acknowledge the staff of Te Tumu, both past and present, who have encouraged and inspired me and facilitated my learning over the years. I also wish to thank Dr. Janine Hayward, Jacinta Ruru and Paerau Warbrick for nurturing my interest in the foreshore and seabed, and ultimately helping to expand my knowledge on the subject.
    [Show full text]
  • Critiquing the Colour Blind Stance on Racial Politics in New Zealand Written by Sophie Tapper
    Critiquing the Colour Blind Stance on Racial Politics in New Zealand Written by Sophie Tapper This PDF is auto-generated for reference only. As such, it may contain some conversion errors and/or missing information. For all formal use please refer to the official version on the website, as linked below. Critiquing the Colour Blind Stance on Racial Politics in New Zealand https://www.e-ir.info/2012/05/24/critiquing-don-brashs-colour-blind-stance-on-racial-politics-in-new-zealand/ SOPHIE TAPPER, MAY 24 2012 New Zealand is widely considered to have some of the best race relations in the world. Determining the best approach to reducing political and socio-economic disparities between Māori and Pākehā, however, consistently remains one of the most controversial and emotionally charged issues on this country’s political agenda. While patterns of inequality between Māori and Pākehā in relation to income distribution, resource allocation, health, education and political representation are well-established, explanations for the origins and persistence of these disparities are highly contentious. Former National Party leader Don Brash’s controversial speech at the Orewa Rotary Club in 2004 to gain support for his Opposition party preceding the 2005 election delineated his colour blind stance on racial politics in New Zealand, a view which has become popular among an increasingly resentful white majority. Expressly rejecting colour conscious, affirmative action type policies which disproportionately ‘privilege’ Māori as divisive, racially separatist and detrimental to the actualisation of harmonious race relations in New Zealand, Brash presented becoming ‘one nation’, and hence removing the relevance of racial identity, as an apparently fair and reasonable means to achieving equality between Māori and Pākehā.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Beings and Freedom: an Interdisciplinary Perspective
    Human Beings and Freedom: An Interdisciplinary Perspective Human Beings and Freedom An Interdisciplinary Perspective Edited by J.L. Shaw Michael Hemmingsen Punthi Pustak Kolkata – 2011 PUBLISHING INFORMATION THIS PAGE Contents List of Contributors .............................................................................................. i Introduction ......................................................................................................... vii Could This Women‘s World Champ Be a Man?‖: Caster Semenya and the Limits of Being Human .........................................1 Anita Brady This Woman is Also an African ......................................................................20 Robbie Shilliam Naturalising Gender ............................................................................................23 James Meffan The Disorder of Things: Foucault, Disciplinary Procedures and Enlightenment Discourse ..................................................................................27 Tony Schirato Foucault and the Politics of Self ......................................................................35 Pat Moloney Parrhēsia and the Problem of Moral Authority ..........................................41 David Rosenbloom Reassessing the Right to Laughter: Humour, Dissent and the Liberal Imagination ............................................................................................45 Nicholas Holm Tracking Footprints? ..........................................................................................64
    [Show full text]
  • 4. a Flawed Treaty Partner: the New Zealand State, Local Government
    4 A flawed Treaty partner: The New Zealand state, local government and the politics of recognition Avril Bell Since the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975, the key mechanism of recognition for Māori in Aotearoa/New Zealand has been ‘Treaty settlements’. These settlements offer some (very limited) compensation for historical injustices, as well as limited recognition of tribes as political partners to the state (see, for example, Belgrave et al. 2005, Bargh 2007a, Mutu 2011, Wheen & Hayward 2012). However, local government entities, while important actors in the lives of iwi (tribes) and hapū (sub-tribes), are not Treaty partners and have an ambiguous role in the lives of post-settlement1 Māori communities. Unlike Australia, Canada or the United States of America, New Zealand’s political system is not federal. Government is instead divided between the central state and a range of territorially based local governance bodies, many with overlapping jurisdictions. In simple terms, regional councils govern the environment, their boundaries set by geographical features such 1 The idea that Māori–state relations are now largely shaped by the ‘post-settlement’ era is not to suggest a time after settler colonialism, but to point to the large proportion of iwi and hapū who have concluded settlements to historical Treaty claims with the Crown. In 2014, the Office of Treaty Settlements (OTS) reported that 72 settlements had been concluded, covering 70 per cent of New Zealand’s landmass (OTS 2014). Also see this overview of settlements to mid-2017: www.youtube. com/watch?v=4-IG0owx38U. 77 THE NEOLIBERAL state, RECOGNITION AND INDIGENOUS RIGHTS as water catchment areas, while city and district councils govern the built infrastructure, with boundaries set around population areas.
    [Show full text]
  • Troubling Political Discourses of Terrorism: Responding to the Call of The
    Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. Troubling political discourses of terrorism: Responding to the call of the other A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, Aotearoa/New Zealand Melissa Rangiwananga 2010 ii Abstract As a story of a complex interplay of hegemonic power relations that play out as relationships of violence on contested boundaries, the dominant narrative of terrorism may be understood as a discursive site of tension between sameness and difference in the production of a 'unified' political identity. Contingent on a binary relationship between 'self' and 'other', terrorism functions as a particular form of Orientalism {Said, 1978} that produces Western knowledges as the authority over meaning and excludes possibilitie s for ethical responses (Spivak, 2004). This thesis draws on Laclau and Mouffe's {1985} theory of the political production of discourse and subjectivity to question the conditions of possibility that enable the production of terrorism in discourse. Through an understanding of discourse as socially contingent systems of mean ing, the analysis explored how social relationships were constructed in political text, and how, through these hegemonic constructions, it became possible to exclude some from the authority to articulate their experiences and understanding of social relations. Revealing the contingency of relation among multiple discourse, terrorism became necessary to the discursive field that constitutes nationalism through an ongoing antagonism between governance and sovereignty that enabled a rejection of the call of the 'other'.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cultural Significance of Recent Popular
    Dehistoricised Histories: The Cultural Significance of Recent Popular New Zealand Historical Fiction _______________________ A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English in the University of Canterbury by A. F. Tyson _____________________________________ University of Canterbury 2007 Acknowledgements I wish to thank Dr. John Newton for his excellent supervision, offering support and assistance when needed while encouraging independent research. Thank you also to Associate Professor Patrick Evans, who initially supervised this project and helped me formulate both the topic and my initial ideas, and Dr. Huw Griffiths, who closely read the final draft and provided valuable feedback. I also wish to express gratitude to the University of Canterbury for the Masters Scholarship that financially assisted the writing of this thesis. Thank you to my office-mate and fellow thesis writer Mandala White for thought- provoking conversation regarding the intersecting approaches of our theses. Finally, I would like to thank George Kitson for uncomplainingly listening - and even responding - to long thesis-related monologues and his careful proof-reading of sections of this thesis. Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….. 5 Chapter 1 Colonial Inheritances: Articulations of National Identity…..……………………… 24 Chapter 2 An Empty Landscape: Strategies of Historical and Cultural Evasion…………….. 55 Chapter 3 Settler Spaces: Sites of Cultural Articulation ………………………………………. 80 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………. 124 Works Cited …………………………………………………………………………. 137 Abstract The recent popularity of mass-market New Zealand historical fiction coincides with the increasing vocality of particular cultural discourses that resist the influence of revisionist histories on dominant understandings of national identity. This thesis examines how the depiction of colonial history in four such novels legitimates and sustains hegemonic understandings of New Zealand as culturally European.
    [Show full text]