George Grey
British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator, and writer.
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Grey remains a controversial and divisive figure in New Zealand for the wars of territorial expansion against Māori which he started.[1] Grey was instrumental in New Zealand's colonisation and in the processes of purchasing and annexing Māori land.[2]
Life and work
He oversaw the colony during a difficult formative period and his fiscally responsible measures ensured the colony was in good shape by 1845.[3] He served as Premier of New Zealand from 1877 to 1879.[4] To prevent an invasion of Auckland by Ngāpuhi, Grey fostered a friendly connection with the influential rangatira Pōtatau Te Wherowhero.[5] Grey's appointment as Governor of Cape Colony occurred in 1854, and his efforts to settle conflicts there earned commendation from both indigenous South Africans and European settlers.[5]
After a marital separation and the onset of a serious opium addiction, Grey received a second appointment as Governor of New Zealand in 1861.[5] The Invasion of the Waikato, initiated by Grey in 1863, involved 14,000 Imperial and colonial troops who attacked 4,000 Māori along with their families.[4]
What the cited sources add
The RNZ documentary "NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui" states that the 1863 invasion of the Waikato was the defining conflict of New Zealand, reinforcing the Crown’s power and entrenching the Kiingitanga.[6] Favenc's 1888 history records that Grey's expedition originated in England and its members, with one exception, were "new chums" locally.[7] Favenc also describes how Grey swam across an inlet to try and signal the schooner and nearly lost his life doing so.[7] The same source notes that on a range they discovered curious paintings and drawings in caves, and a head in profile cut in sandstone rock.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "George Grey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cyril Hamshere, "Sir George Grey: A Great Proconsul" History Today (April 1979) 29#4 pp 240–247.; Harvey, "The Māori historian providing a critique of controversial New Zealand governor George Grey", Stuff, 24 May 2022 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "George Grey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wolfe 2005, p. 71; Collective, "Documentary: NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui", RNZ, 3 February 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "George Grey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: G. H. Pitt, "The Crisis of 1841: Its Causes and Consequences" South Australiana (1972) 11#2 pp 43–81. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "George Grey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Collective, "Documentary: NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui", RNZ, 3 February 2021; Belich, "The New Zealand Wars", Penguin, 1986, p. 125–133; O'Malley, "Inglorious Dastards: Rangiaowhia raid and the 'great war for New Zealand'", NZ Listener, 20 February 2017; Harvey, "The Māori historian providing a critique of controversial New Zealand governor George Grey", Stuff, 24 May 2022 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "George Grey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Collective, "Documentary: NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui", RNZ, 3 February 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Collective, "Documentary: NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui", RNZ, 3 February 2021. facts only, no text reused. rnz.co.nz
- Favenc, "The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888", Turner and Henderson, 1888. facts only, no text reused. gutenberg.net.au
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article George Grey (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: George Grey (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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