The Meeting Place: Māori and Pākehā Encounters, 1642–1840 | Vincent O'Malley

‘In 1642 Māori discovered Europe.’

Vincent O’Malley’s account of the first meeting between Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri and Abel Tasman’s crew sets the scene for how two peoples navigated fraught beginnings to find a ‘meeting place’ in pre-Treaty Aotearoa.

Dr O’Malley tells the story of encounters between Māori and Pākehā in a turbulent landscape still shaped by Māori authority and evolving relationships. Early misunderstandings and violence gradually give way to mutual accommodation and adaptation. In this middle ground, people traded, intermarried, forged alliances and shaped each other’s ways of life – until this fragile balance was undone in the decades after 1840. Through people’s stories, O’Malley brings to life a time of extraordinary change.

Shortlisted for the New Zealand Post Book Awards (2013) in its first edition, this updated account from an award-winning and bestselling historian expands on the original with new research, including material on Te Waipounamu and an enriched visual narrative.

'Vincent O’Malley’s new edition of The Meeting Place is a timely and important work. His reflections on the whakataukī ‘I ngā rā o mua – the past in front of us’ resonate deeply with current realities, reminding us of the optimism and resilience embedded in our histories. This book powerfully illustrates how early Māori and Pākehā overcame conflict to create middle grounds of respect, sharing and mutual tolerance – a history we need to remember today.’  - Melissa Matutina Williams, author of Panguru and the City: Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua