• Title : Map of The Colony of New Zealand From Official Documents
• Ref #:  61016
• Size: 18in x 14in (460mm x 360mm)
• Date : 1841
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition

Description:
This original large folding antique early map of New Zealand was printed by F P Becker in 1841 for The New Zealand Company.

A scarce early map of New Zealand, one of the earliest maps to locate Wellington.
The map is undated, but the inclusion of Wellington, which was not settled until 1839, when the New Zealand Company ship Toryreached Petone, before moving to what is today the city Wellington.

The New Zealand Company. Originated in London in 1837 as the New Zealand Association.  The purpose of to promote the systematic colonization of New Zealand. The intent was to follow the colonizing principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisioned a new-model English society in the southern hemisphere.  A first attempt to gain a Royal Charter for the Association met with the objection of Colonial Office officials and the Church Missionary Society, who took issue both with the unlimited power the colony's founders would wield, and what they regarded as the inevitable conquest and extermination of the present inhabitants.
December 1837, the Association was offered a Royal Charter, but required to reorganize as a joint stock company, which it refused to do.  In August 1838, the Association was dissolved and replaced with two organizations, the New Zealand Colonization Company and the New Zealand Land Company. In May 1839, these 2 entities merged with the 1825 New Zealand Company to form the New Zealand Land Company, and in December the name "New Zealand Company" was selected for the one and only company that would send emigrants to New Zealand. Once again Edward Gibbon Wakefield provided the driving impetus, although by then the offer of a charter had been withdrawn.
One of the early goals of the New Zealand Company was to buy land directly from the indigenous Maori.  The Company organized an expedition to New Zealand, leaving England in May 1839.  The Company was able to purchase seveal parcels of land by the end of 1839, with the help of Dicky Barnett, who had lived among the Maori since 1828.  By the end of 1839, the Company claimed to have purchased 20 million acres of land in the Wellington, Neslon, Wanganui and Tranaki areas.
The purchase spree ended with the passage of the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840, which established New Zealand as a British Crown Colony and ended the Maori right to sell their land, except to agents of the Crown.  The  Company would thereafter enter into an agreement with Colonial authorities to continue buying new land from the Crown and a charter to buy and sell land under supervision of the Colonial administrators.
While the Company envisioned its own autonomous region. the British Colonial officials moved quickly to quash this idea.
The first Company settlement was at Pito-one, at the mouth of the Hutt River, in January 1840, which was called Britannia.  However, within two months, it was deemed unsuitable and the settlement moved southwest to Thorndon.  This also proved problematic, as the area was inhabited by Maori, who were unaware of any agreement to sell their lands.  Later, the Spain Land Commission would determine that the Chiefs who represented the Thorndon  Maori were not consulted or paid for the land and that Barnett's translation was not adequate.  In August 1840, the New South Wales legislature further interevened to challenge the titles, which resulted in a panic and flight among many of the early settlers, who abandoned their claims.
In April 1841, the Company informed the Colonial Secretary of its intention to form an even larger colony, which would become the town of Nelson, New Zealand.
The New Zealand Company later established settlements at Wellington, Nelson, Wanganui and Dunedin and also became involved in the settling of New Plymouth and Christchurch. It reached the peak of efficiency about 1841, encountered financial problems which led to its dissolution in 1858.

The company became notable for aggressive advertising campaigns and attacks on its opponents. It stridently opposed the Treaty of Waitangi and was in turn frequently criticized by the Colonial Office and New Zealand Governors for its "trickery" and lies.  The company also saw itself as a prospective quasi-government of New Zealand and in 1845 and 1846 backed a failed attempt to split the colony in two, along a line from Mokau in the west to Cape Kidnappers in the east – with the north reserved for Maori and missionaries, while the south would become a self-governing province, known as "New Victoria" and managed by the company for that purpose. (Ref: M&B; Tooley)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy & stable
Paper color: - Off white
Age of map color: -  
Colors used: -  
General color appearance: -  
Paper size: - 18in x 14in (460mm x 360mm)
Plate size: - 18in x 14in (460mm x 360mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - Folds as issued, light offsetting
Verso: - None