A Look at Early New Zealand : Victorian values

A Brief overview of early Victorian New Zealand

The Victorian period was a time of massive change in New Zealand. People were traveling to make New Zealand, to settle in the colonies. This was a time of bringing old values and culture to a new land. For Māori the Victorian period introduced a forced change to ways of life. The main theme of this era was adapting – adapting to a land, to others, to a new life, to new governance. The Victoria era matches the reign of Queen Victoria in England, from 1827 to 1901.

This period marks a huge increase of immigrants arriving to New Zealand from a range of countries, such as Italy, Scandinavia, Germany and Australia. Despite the range of nationalities, 90% of these were born Irish and British.^[1] The reasons why people would chose to endure such a long and dangerous journey are varied. The journey by sea (from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland) took 100 days in cramped conditions, with travellers enduring rough seas and illness.^[2] For some, it was the promise of land and the potential to find gold during the boom around 1861^[3]. For others it was to aid in war, such as that in 1860. From 1871, the New Zealand government increased the attraction of such a move by offering assistance, such as cheap tickets or fares to travel to the country, or the promise of free land.

Many immigrants from Europe had rural backgrounds, having worked in agriculture or building roles. Because of this, it’s thought that they will have seen New Zealand as an opportunity to be more independent by living off the land. People who arrived wanted to find somewhere to settle and build a new life rather than move on. Immigrants had been encouraged to bring musical instruments for the journey, of which many did. It led to a varied taste for music in New Zealand; from classical favourites to ballads and songs which reflected feelings of nostalgia for the country left behind, or patriotism for their new home. During this time, styles of dance varied, as did the social status of the dancers – this was just to make up numbers at these events. Opera, choral groups and later brass bands became a part of the entertainment landscape also.^[4] Some of the British culture was brought across with the new settlers. At the end of the century the influence showed through the playing of rugby, cricket and in the history and literature that was taught to students.^[5]

Values were largely centered around the community. Many people practised both Māori and Christian religious activities. The focus of the community was the marae – for song, hospitality, haka and other activities. Few young people would go on to do secondary education and would spend their time at the cinema, dances or youth clubs, while Saturdays were spent playing tennis, hockey and rugby.^[6] Māori and Pākēha people would unite to compete in a variety of sports. Horse Racing was the first favourite, until popularity for rugby soared.^[7] In 1888 – 1889, teams (which included mostly – but not exclusively – Māori) toured England, Australia and New Zealand to represent their country in rugby.

The settlers women’s roles during this time were domestic – the attitudes towards the settler women were that they be providers in the home; servants, wives, mothers and nurtures that would work behind the scenes while the men openly handled other matters like trade. English common law meant that the husband or father was the head of the family, leaving the woman with little rights – even over property or her own children. Even through education, girls were taught to sew, cook and look after babies to shape them for their duties in adulthood. This helped towards the idea that a strong New Zealand consisted of women remaining as the homemakers while the men went out to work.^[8]

This had detrimental effects for Māori women, whose beliefs with powerful female influences were diluted and retold by Pāhēka men with a shift towards male characters. While men and women had once been equal to provide for the whanau, and women being able to work on the farm and help in family businesses, this would be interfered with. Immigrant ideals of the male as the head of the household would taint and take over this equality. The immigrant attitudes also coloured attitudes towards Māori women, believing them to belong to their husband. They were also seen as potential bedmates but also as a source of economic security. Marriage was another custom to be affected for the Māori population, which merged with the legal framework and ceremony known to the settlers.^[9]

However, these traditional settler attitudes were brought into question with the suffrage movement in the 1890s, which led to New Zealand to be the first self-governing country to grant women the vote. Although women would still have a long journey ahead to achieve political equality, it was a strong start. Overall, the Victorian period must have been a mixed experience in New Zealand. For the Māori community these changes would change their lives and typical routines, as trade options changed. As immigrants arrived, aspects of their lives were threatened such as land ownership – leading to wars and hostilities. For the settlers, the period will have been marked by hope for a new home and a new life, but also tinged with the sadness of a home they had left behind.