Vincent O'Malley

Great to be here. And thanks to everyone who came along to my talk at Devonport Library last night.

YouTube video by Featherston Booktown Invasion! The Waikato War: The Featherston Booktown NZ War History series

Our session from the Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival last year on the invasion of Waikato is now available to view, featuring Joanna Kidman, Tom Roa, James Belich and me.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cge9...

In very good company here!

Dr Vincent O'Malley Auckland and the Invasion of the Waikato Dr Vincent O’Malley argues that it was in the invasion of Waikato in 1863, and not either world war, that was the defining conflict in New Zealand history.

As my first talk at Devonport Library filled up very quickly, I have agreed to do a second session a few days later, on 22 February. Link to book free tickets here:

events.humanitix.com/dr-vincent-o...

If you are in the area, get along to the Fred Graham exhibition on at Pātaka, Porirua, till 10 May. It's great.

pataka.org.nz/whats-on/exh...

📢 Upcoming Event – Vincent O'Malley: Auckland and the Invasion of the Waikato 📢

Join Vincent O'Malley as he explores how the invasion of Waikato played out in Tāmaki Makaurau and the legacy it left behind.

⏰ 18 February, 6.30pm
📍 Devonport Library
📚 Free entry

events.humanitix.com/dr-vinc...

‘Noise is not the same as progress’: Te reo leader’s warning after royal honour Professor Tom Roa has been fighting for te reo Māori for more than 50 years.

Wonderful to see this recognition for Matua Tom Roa.

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/new-year-...

Unsettling Newsletter Aotearoa New Zealand history with Dr Vincent O'Malley. The New Zealand Wars, the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti, Māori and Pākehā relations and more

A recap of some of the content from my newsletter launched in March.

www.meetingplace.nz/2025/12/unse...

Kā Whakatauraki: The Promises A landmark exhibition bringing together the ten Ngāi Tahu land sale purchase deeds.

An important exhibition to see if you are near Ōtautahi this summer. Kā Whakatauraki: The Promises, at Christchurch Art Gallery, displays the ten deeds signed between 1844 and 1864 that saw 34.5 million acres pass out of Ngāi Tahu ownership.

christchurchartgallery.org.nz/exhibitions/...

Can't say I've heard that one.

Still held by NZDF according to this. www.archives.govt.nz/research-gui...

Archives NZ shutting down digitisation programme It has been running for seven years, digitising almost two million historically significant images to protect them from wear and tear and make them accessible worldwide online.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Especially relevant in NZ, where funding for the Archives NZ digitisation programme of official records was axed in 2024.

Robin Hyde and Ōrākei Recent controversy over the destruction of Penman House in Auckland reminded me of a series of brilliant articles that Robin Hyde wrote from that very place...

"any unjustified removal of Ngāti Whātua from their lands ‘will never be forgiven and never be forgotten’".

Robin Hyde and Ōrākei.

buttondown.com/unsettling/a...

John Campbell announced as new co-host of Morning Report He'll join Ingrid Hipkiss on the flagship news programme next year.

Marvellous!

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

'Garrison World explores the lives of soldiers, sailors and their families stationed in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the British empire in the nineteenth century.'

In this new book trailer, Charlotte Macdonald introduces her latest book, 'Garrison World'!

🎥 @reverie_nzl

#booktrailer #bwb

South Island Māori landowners to get more than 3000 hectares returned by Crown Māori landowners will have the land returned, and receive $420 million in compensation, in a landmark agreement with the Crown, ending questions going back to the 1830s.

Huge outcome for Te Tau Ihu iwi.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Yes, John A. Lee doesn't come out of it at all well.

photo of Robin Hyde article 'Who says the Orakei Maoris Must Go?'

It has been fascinating to revisit Robin Hyde's brilliant reporting on government efforts to evict Ngāti Whātua from Ōrākei in the 1930s. These haven't been digitised for Papers Past yet. But I'll post a transcript of this one on my newsletter next week.

Congratulations to author Dame Claudia Orange on being a semifinalist for the 2026 Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year!

'... she continues to bring wisdom and clarity to national conversations.'

Read the full citation on the awards website: nzawards.org.nz/awards/senio...

Boots on the ground Dunedin grew rapidly during the early 1860s. This watercolour was painted at this time by Walter Scarlett Hatton and shows substantial buildings...

Read an extract from Charlotte Macdonald's new book, 'Garrison World: Redcoat Soldiers in New Zealand and across the British Empire', in the ODT!

Pick up a copy of 'Garrison World' today from your local bookshop or through the BWB website.

www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/maga...

Unsettling: Aotearoa New Zealand History Reflections on the past and its implications for the present with award-winning historian Dr Vincent O’Malley FRHistS FRSNZ Read more about this newsletter here About me  My publications  For full ac...

Gift subscriptions are now available on my newsletter. Just check the box with 'This is a gift' and enter the email address for the recipient.

buttondown.com/unsettling

150 years since the battle at Waerenga-ā-Hika East Coast iwi commemorates the 150th anniversary of the siege of Waerenga-ā-Hika pā near Gisborne today.

150 years since the battle at Waerenga-ā-Hika

www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu...

Universities in 'battle of the century' with journal publisher Elsevier One New Zealand university told its staff all universities in New Zealand and Australia would "lose some degree of access" to the publisher's 1600 titles from the start of next year.

Fully support the universities in this. But if they are genuinely committed to ensuring "free public access to the research...taxes had funded" maybe those that limit access to electronic copies of theses to current staff or students could open them up to the public.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

‘Reframes history’: fears Māori knowledge diluted in plan to revise New Zealand curriculum Minister rejects claims Māori history is being sidelined in rewrite which includes cutting some references to the Treaty of Waitangi

"It’s deeply alarming...Why are they trying to reframe this history? We need to grapple with it.”

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Diluting history curriculum risks 'leaving our past to chance' - Academic The government has released the full draft of its new year 0-10 curriculum, which proposes dropping Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories and adding more international topics.

Diluting history curriculum risks 'leaving our past to chance' - Academic

www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu...

The Invasion of Parihaka On the anniversary of the invasion of Parihaka on 5 November 1881 I am reproducing an extract from Voices from the New Zealand Wars/He Reo Nō Ngā Pakanga o...

The invasion of Parihaka, 5 November 1881.

buttondown.com/unsettling/a...

Māori academic warns draft curriculum erases children's rights to local histories "Every child has a right to know whose land they stand on."

Māori academic warns draft curriculum erases children's rights to local histories

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Extent of backlash over cuts to ministry history teams revealed Teachers and historians warned the Ministry for Culture and Heritage that axing roles behind Te Ara and the NZ History website would undermine access to trusted information.

"yet another example of the hostility to history, humanities and social sciences that the current coalition Government has repeatedly demonstrated"

www.thepost.co.nz/culture/3608...

School curriculum 'will perpetuate racism and ongoing inequity in our schools' The new school curriculum makes Māori people, knowledge and culture invisible and prioritises European knowledge, say Māori education leaders.

"The curriculum is dishonest and it's regressive because it's not an honest reflection of our past"

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...