medal, New Zealand Medal (1845-1847 and 1860-1866), medals, Military, New Zealand, New Zealand Defence Forces

Artist: London, mint; Date(s): 1869; Classification(s): medal, New Zealand Medal (1845-1847 and 1860-1866), medals, Military, New Zealand, New Zealand Defence Forces; Acquisition: loan by Cambridge in America, 2005 [LW.0288] Description: The New Zealand Medal was instituted in 1869 to recognise service in the New Zealand Wars of 1845-46, 1847 and 1860-66, though not for any of the other conflicts in that or a wider period in the islands. The phrase New Zealand Wars covers a variety of affrays, whose common factors were relatively few beyond that all, at some level, involved government forces suppressing risings by the indigenous Maori peoples. The background to the conflicts was misunderstandings and lapses, more or less wilful from case to case, in the implementation of the Treaty of Waitangi by which in 1840 the newly-instituted New Zealand government had protected the Maori tribes from loss of their lands. Not all the conflicts for which the New Zealand Medal was awarded were of this kind, however, some rather being wars between Maori tribes in which one side had managed to engage the government. There were twenty-eight different sorts of New Zealand Medal awarded, of which twenty-seven bore the dates of different periods of service, some

Collection

Fitzwilliam Museum

Inventory Number

2532405

Title

medal, New Zealand Medal (1845-1847 and 1860-1866), medals, Military, New Zealand, New Zealand Defence Forces

Object Type

Text

Measurements

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