Abstract
The name of Dr. Edward Shortland is intimately associated with the early efforts of the New Zealand government to establish friendly relations with the Maoris, and the difficulties which faced him in this respect can be more readily understood after a reference to the general situation in the country in 1840, the year preceding Shortland's arrival.
A sketch of the 1840 situation must take into account first of all the population, both native and European, with reference also to the numerically small but otherwise powerful and influential 'Pakeha-Maoris'; it must involve too, some explanation of the missionaries and their work, the extent to which thay had civilized the Maoris, and their general influence over the natives and their mode of life. The land question must also be considered, for it was to become the source of practically all the later trouble, and Shortland, in his capacity as sub-Protector of the Aborigines, found himself involved in numerous and intricate negotiations on this delicate subject.