Photographic reportage of the New Zealand wars

Abstract

The New Zealand Wars¹ of the 1860s received coverage by a number of individuals, who either by chance or direction found themselves on hand when hostilities began. When we examine the collective results of this endeavour, we find that most aspects of the various campaigns were reported and some surprisingly good images have come forward from what might have been considered a hopeless photographic situation. No doubt, some critics would say that, as far as newsworthiness is concerned, few of these images would qualify for frontpage treatment, but we must remember that true actionphotography was still a long way off in the 1860s. It is true that stereo views were being made about this time², but, for most practical purposes, the nature of the camera and the laborious plate-preparation procedures ruled out any true action photographs. What we have is essentially a collection of photographs which depict scenes where action had taken place. Some are by professional photographers, others by gentlemen amateurs.