Maning Letters (1867-1882)

Abstract

The purpose of this small work is to give the reader a closer view of the thoughts and every day life of that interesting personality, the author of "Old New Zealand", Judge Maning. Mr. James Cowan has said in the New Zealand Railways Magazine of 1 July 1933, that casual writers and speakers on New Zealand frequently refer to Judge Maning, as the writer who had the most profound knowledge of the Maori and who best described Maori habits and thoughts. In continuing, he says that the truth about Maning, is that – apart from his intimate knowledge of land tenures and history and related subjects – he was a dealer in superficialities. Generally speaking, this thesis opposes this view of Maning and attempts to offer reasons why this conclusion has been reached.