1878: The Slow Poison of Civilisation

February 17, 2023

By AHNZ

Frederick Maning (1812-1883) lived a very interesting life and was one of the first of our early settlers (1833.) He knew the Maoris well can identified himself in his sharp-witted writings as ‘A Pakeha Maori’. He was prompted in 1873 to comment on the fate of the Maori race…

“The Maori are now surrounded by a medium not made for them, or such as they, as Maories were not made for, they are dying of the slow poison of civilisation. In their own native climate they are undergoing the process of acclimatisation and are dying under that process and will probably be reduced to a small remnant before they begin to look up again, and I think it likely that at last the only remainder will be that part of the race which has, more or less, a tinge of European blood.”

” As soon as the Maori begin to adopt the good usages which have come with European civilisation as well as the bad ones there will be a chance for them; at present they are, as a people, neglecting their present interests and racking their brains in the endeavor to solve the great problem of, how to get rich without the usual methods of steady industry (which is hatefull) and self restraint and economy (which is worse).”

“They have tried to possess themselves of all our wealth by war, and as that speculation failed, they are now going to try another, and one way or another, being incited and encouraged by false friends amongst ourselves they are likely to last long enough to be a great trouble to us and will not find out that they are not on the right road until too late.”

How right he was. Only mixed-race Natives survived to the present day but we call them Maoris anyway because they are ‘cultural Maoris’ not because they resemble the lost people Manning knew and loved.

During, and since, Manning’s observation there have been factions of Maoris who seek wealth and power by short cuts and many generations of our politicians have been glad to collaborate (for a large share of the cut, of course.) National 4.0, in 1994, proposed to cap this industry with a billion dollar ‘Fiscal Envelope’ but we soon blew right by that. Labour 5.0 was another “false friend” that exploited the Maoris in 2000 under the slogan Closing the Gaps. National 5.0’s Chris Finlayson laundered treasure untold under the pretense of helping Maoris. In the 2020s Labour 6.0 pushes their own policy agenda (eg. Three Waters) under the pretense of “Co-Governance” and “He Puapua.”

Manning’s 1878 prediction has yet to run its course.

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Vid ref. John Webster sketch, Auckland Museum. Modified by DeepStory, Myheritage; AHNZ (2023)

Ref. Manning to Cheesman, 30/11/1878; The Centennial History of Auckland Institute and Museum (1967)

Note: Manning arrived in New Zealand on  30 June 1833. Ref. Wiki

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