Page 64 - Ultimate Australia

?SP ?]PL_d LW^Z ^[PNTʭP^ _SL_ _SP 8LZ]T bTWW ZYWd ^PWW _SPT] WLYO^ _Z _SP -]T_T^S .]ZbY 4Y _SP
short-term, this seemed to work for both parties. Because Maori lands could only be sold to
the Crown, or through the mediation of the Crown, the land could be used to entice settlers
to New Zealand, but the rights of the Maori could also be protected. But by 1858, the decline
in land sales combined with the pressure on the British government to allow more settlers
into New Zealand resulted in a dangerous imbalance. The government responded by using a
QLW^TʭPO ^_Z]d LMZ`_ LY L__LNV ZY _SP ^P__WPXPY_ ZQ ,`NVWLYO L^ _SP U`^_TʭNL_TZY QZ] WL`YNSTYR
an all-out war against the tribes of the North Island. Outnumbered, the Maori were forced to
concede over 4 million acres of the best farmland to the settlers.

While the land wars raged on—in some parts of the country until 1865—colonists continued
_Z L]]TaP ?SPd QZ`YO _SP ^PXT XZ`Y_LTYZ`^ _STNVWd QZ]P^_PO WLYO^ ZQ 9Pb EPLWLYO OTʯN`W_
_Z N`W_TaL_P 0aPY_`LWWd _SPd _`]YPO _SPT] PʬZ]_^ _Z ^SPP[ QL]XTYR bSTNS ]PXLTY^ L aT_LW
part of New Zealand’s economy. The discovery of gold in the mid-1800s brought bright
new economic prospects, and a surging population, to the South Island. During the 1860s,
MZZX_ZbY^ N]Z[[PO `[ L_ aL]TZ`^ NZL^_LW ^T_P^ L^ []Z^[PN_Z]^ ʮZZOPO TY Q]ZX ,`^_]LWTL LYO
9Z]_S ,XP]TNL ?SP 2ZWO =`^S ZQ #! bL^ ^SZ]_ WTaPO M`_ RLaP _SP NZ`Y_]d L OPʭYT_P MZZ^_
in commercial development.

:YP ZQ _SP :_LRZ _ZbY^ LʬPN_PO Md _SP 2ZWO =`^S bL^ ,]]Zb_ZbY 4_ bL^ O`]TYR _SP 2ZWO
Rush (fueled in large part by the success of American prospector William Fox, who was
crafty enough to claim 220 pounds of gold for himself before letting the word get out) that
Arrowtown’s population exploded to 7000. Among the hopeful were large numbers of Chinese
who established settlements that remain to this day.

While few struck it rich through panning for gold, new arrivals to New Zealand were won
over by its natural splendor. The town of Rotorua, in particular, gained a reputation for its
supposed “healing waters.” An area of great geothermic activity, Rotorua also attracted
visitors eager to gaze upon the Pink and White Terraces, impressive structures formed by
deposits of silica as a result of volcanic activity.

Emergence on the World Stage

9Pb EPLWLYO ʭYLWWd NL]aPO Z`_ L YTNSP QZ] T_^PWQ PNZYZXTNLWWd _S]Z`RS TY_P]YL_TZYLW _]LOP
With the invention of refrigeration, New Zealand suddenly assumed a much greater role in
the world economic scene, as it could now export perishable products like meat, butter, and
NSPP^P ?SP ʭ]^_ ^ST[XPY_ ZY TNP bL^ XLOP _Z -]T_LTY TY ## 4_^ ^`NNP^^ WLTO _SP NZ]YP]^_ZYP
of New Zealand’s modern economy.

As New Zealand become more visible to the rest of the world, the native Maori population
continued to decline precipitously. By 1900, fewer than 42,000 Maori remained. And while
they had been allowed to vote since 1867, each year saw the loss of more and more of their
culture and ancestral lands.

Kiwis (the name adopted by residents of New Zealand) fought alongside the British during the
Boer War of 1899-1902 and with the Allies during both World Wars. New Zealand achieved
complete independence from Britain in 1947. The economy soared following World War II, as

64