Media Release for immediate release Tuesday 17 February, 2004
2004-2006 Maori History Fellow begins major publishing projects
Dr Monty Soutar, the 2004-2006 Fellow in Maori History, has begun his Fellowship with the Ministry for Culture and
Heritage.
The Fellowship will allow Dr Soutar to concentrate solely on writing and research for the next two years. He will work
as part of the Ministry’s History Group on two major new publications.
On behalf of the Nga Taonga a Nga Tama Toa Trust, an entity made up of Maori Battalion veterans and widows, Dr Soutar
will first complete a history of the Maori war effort in World War Two, based on the records of the tribes of
Tairawhiti.
“This history is inspired by a perceived need among older generations, which lived through the war, to better inform
their descendants about Maori objectives in World War Two. It will also inform a wider New Zealand audience about the
continuing impact that World War Two has on Maori society,” said Dr Soutar
The book follows on from Dr Soutar’s oral history project of the C Company, 28 Maori Battalion. For almost a decade he
has headed a research team that has collected more than 400 hours of video footage, 4000 photographs and a large amount
of related memorabilia.
His second work will be a history of the relationship between Ngati Porou, the Crown and the Church in the Nineteenth
Century. “It will be a timely publication as iwi begin to review their recent history in the context of Treaty
relations, and as schools and libraries seek more historical reading resources in the area of Maori history. To date,
little in terms of iwi history has been published about Ngati Porou,” he said.
Dr Soutar hopes to complete both manuscripts during the Fellowship.
Prior to his Fellowship, Dr Soutar was senior lecturer at the School of Maori Studies, Massey University, Palmerston
North. He is also a member of the Maori Advisory Committee of Te Ara, the Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand, which
begins digital publication from July 2004. Dr Soutar is of Ngati Awa, Ngati Porou, Ngai Tai (Waikato), Ngati Kahungunu
descent.
Massey graduate Mere Whaanga wrote a history of Ngai Tahu Matawhaiti when she held the Fellowship from 2001 to 2003.
The History Group, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, seeks to enhance New Zealanders' access to and understanding of
their history and cultural heritage by providing enlightening insights into the past. The Group specialises in
researching and writing histories of state activity, war history, and other histories of national significance. The
Ministry awards the Fellowship in Maori History every few years.
Further information is available online: www.mch.govt.nz/History/maori-fellow.html
A feature from Dr Soutar’s World War Two project will appear later this year on www.nzhistory.net.nz
- ENDS -