Discovery Myths of New Zealand: Some Cultural, Historical, and Philosophical Perspectives

Abstract

The discovery of New Zealand, first by Polynesia and followed by Europe, have become important narratives in the nation’s evolving sense of identity.[i]  However, these narratives are neither straightforward in themselves, nor always completely complementary with each other.  The purpose of this particle is to explore some of the historical, cultural, and philosophical bases of these discovery myths, with a focus on their construction and reconstruction.  What emerges from this survey is that the discovery myths are an example of history being appropriated at times for ideological purposes, and that the character and content of these myths is necessarily fluid in order to accommodate the shifting requirements for which they are employed.

[i]     Elements of this article are taken from my book Encounters, the Creation of New Zealand, A History, Auckland, 2013.