Power and Authority in Auckland’s Government Houses
Introduction
On 18 September 1840, Apihai Te Kawau, the paramount rangatira of Ngāti Whātua o Orākei, formally allocated 3000 acres of central Tāmaki Makaurau to Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson. This followed centuries of Māori occupation. The gifting of land, known as tuku whenua, was to establish a town for settlers and a new capital. It aimed to strengthen Ngāti Whātua’s relationship with the Crown and bring prosperity. Hobson selected the ‘best part’ of the land for his Government House. This building became a symbol of British power and authority in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
Learning Aims
Students will learn:
- The different forms of power and authority that were exercised at Government House
- How spaces and places shape history
- The importance of the relationship between people and places when comparing the Governor’s residence and Te Wherowhero’s house
- How the colonisation and settlement of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, on land currently occupied
by University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau is central to Aotearoa New Zealand histories
Activity Resources
Activity One:
‘Retrieving Prior Knowledge – Predicting’
Activity Four:
‘Power Profiles’
Activity Seven:
‘Questions for Close Reading – Letter from Governor Fitzroy’
Activity Ten:
‘Using Ephemera as Evidence’
Activity Two:
‘Building Knowledge – Important Kupu and Terms’
Activity Five:
‘Research and Communication – Te Wherowhero’
5.1. Te Wherowhero, Pōtatau, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Activity Eight:
‘Questions for Close Reading – Minute of the Executive Council’
Activity Eleven:
‘Media Task – Making the Invisible Visible’
Activity Three:
‘Comparing the Government Houses’
Activity Six:
‘Analysing Sources on Government House’
Activity Nine:
‘Questions for Close Reading – Letter from Governor Grey to Earl Grey’