Humanities Terms and Definitions Practice

Rural

Relating to the countryside, where many Māori lived before moving to cities for work

Manpowered

Work done by human labour rather than machines, such as hand farming or factory work

Urban

Relating to towns and cities, where many Māori and Pasifika moved for jobs, especially after World War II

Demographic

A section of the population grouped by things like age, ethnicity or income, or statistics about a population. Urbanisation changed the demographics of NZ cities

Prosperity

Being successful and having plenty of money and good living conditions, which many migrants hoped to find in cities

Farmlets

Small farms, such as the small blocks of land many Māori were left with that were too small to make a living from

Colonisation

When one country takes control of another land and its people. In Aotearoa it led to Māori losing land, which pushed many people to move to cities

Sustenance

Food and basic needs required to live, which many rural Māori families struggled to provide

Pākehā

A New Zealander of European descent

Discrimination

Unfair treatment of people because of their race, age, gender or religion. Māori and Pasifika migrants faced it in housing, jobs and policing

Rent

A regular payment to a landlord to live in a property. Many migrants rented crowded housing in city suburbs

Landlord

A person who owns a property and rents it out. Some landlords charged migrants high rent for poor housing

Mātauranga Māori

Māori knowledge, wisdom and ways of understanding the world

Interaction

Communication or dealings between people or groups, such as between Māori, Pasifika and Pākehā in cities

Nuclear family

A family made up of two parents and their children living together. Many migrants came from larger extended families and whānau

Imprisonment

Being held in prison

Whenua

Land (also means placenta). Land is central to Māori identity

Adapting

Changing to suit new conditions, such as migrants adjusting to city life

Tangihanga

Traditional Māori funeral customs, where people gather to mourn and farewell the dead, usually at a marae

Tūrangawaewae

A place to stand, where a person belongs through their family ties. Māori in cities kept this connection to their home through their marae

Pan-tribal

Involving many different tribes (iwi) coming together, such as in urban marae and groups that served Māori from all over the country

Affiliated

Officially connected to a group, such as being linked to an iwi, hapū or marae

Marae

The communal meeting grounds and buildings of a Māori community. Urban marae were set up in cities to give migrants a place to belong

Agriculture

Farming, including growing crops and raising animals. It was the main source of work in rural areas

Citizenship

The legal status of belonging to a country, with its rights and responsibilities. Pacific people from Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau had NZ citizenship

Domestic work

Work done in homes, such as cleaning, cooking and childcare. Many Pasifika women worked in cleaning and similar jobs after migrating

Temporary

Lasting only for a limited time, like the work permits many Pacific workers were given

Short-term

Lasting or planned for only a small amount of time

Long-term

Lasting or planned for a large amount of time

Tenure

The right or length of time someone holds land, a home or a job. Changes to Māori land tenure made it harder for Māori to keep their land

Productive

Producing a lot or achieving a lot, such as migrant workers who filled jobs in factories

Dynamic

Always changing, active and full of energy, like NZ cities as they grew and became more diverse

Ethnic

Relating to a group of people who share a culture, language or ancestry

Banana boats

Ships that carried bananas from the Pacific to New Zealand and also brought Pacific migrants looking for work in the 1950s and 60s

Plentiful

Available in large amounts, such as the factory jobs that were plentiful in the 1950s and 60s

Borer

An insect whose larvae tunnel into wood and damage it, often found in the old, run-down houses many migrants rented

Infestation

A large number of pests or insects in a place, such as in the poor-quality housing many migrants lived in

Overstayer

A person who stays in a country after their visa or permit has run out. Pacific overstayers were targeted during the Dawn Raids of the 1970s

Inflation

A general rise in prices over time, so money buys less. It was high in the 1970s, when the economy struggled

Scapegoat

A person or group unfairly blamed for problems they did not cause. Pasifika people were blamed for unemployment and economic trouble in the 1970s

Racism

Prejudice or unfair treatment based on race, or the belief that one race is better than another

Deport

To force a person to leave a country, as happened to many Pacific overstayers during the Dawn Raids

Exploitative

Unfairly taking advantage of someone, for example by paying very low wages for hard work

Permit

An official document that allows someone to do something, such as work or stay in a country

Amendment

A change or addition made to a law or document, such as changes to immigration laws

Residency

The right to live in a country permanently or for a long time

Assimilate

To take on the culture of the majority group and fit in, often losing parts of your own culture

Stereotype

An oversimplified, fixed idea about a group of people, such as the false ideas about Pacific people that spread in the 1970s

Prosecutions

Legal actions taken against people accused of breaking the law, such as overstayers during the Dawn Raids

Liberal

Open to new ideas and change, and supportive of personal freedoms and social reform

Left-wing

Political views that favour equality, social reform and government support for people in need

Accusations

Claims that someone has done something wrong

Exaggerated

Made to seem bigger, better or worse than it really is, such as the media claims about Pacific overstayers

Agenda

A plan or set of aims that someone is trying to achieve, sometimes hidden

Inaccurate

Not correct or not exact

Deported

Forced to leave a country

Dispute

A disagreement or argument

Injustice

Unfair treatment or a lack of fairness, such as the way Pacific communities were targeted in the Dawn Raids

Contradictory

Saying or showing the opposite of something else, so the two cannot both be true

Revolution

A major change in the way things are done, often when people overthrow a government or system

Significance

The importance or meaning of something

Occupation

A person's job, or the act of taking over and controlling a place by force