Māori Accounts of Disaster Recovery with Xavier Forsman

In this week's HeritageTalk ,oin Auckland Libraries' Poukokiri Rangahau Māori (Librarian Maori Research) Xavier Forsman from Research North, Takapuna Library as he discusses Māori response to disaster.

Napier Breakwater and Wharf. Showing railway tracks, horses and trains. Coal being loaded into carts in the foreground. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1596-406A.

While Hawke’s Bay can be said to owe much its present-day character to the development following the 1931 earthquake, little is documented on how Māori communities of the region fared.

Join Xavier Forsman as he explores this area by drawing on fieldwork undertaken as part of his Masters thesis. He reflects on the experiences of interviewing Māori elders and the insights gained from them and incorporates how the unpredictable nature of research led him to the region's freezing works closures, disasters in their own right.

Xavier Forsman
Xavier Forsman is Poukokiri Rangahau Māori (Librarian Māori Research) at Research North, Takapuna Library. He is a recent MSc graduate from the University of Auckland. His principal research interests are in New Zealand and Polynesian history.

About HeritageTalks
Are you interested in family and local history; the historical stories of New Zealand, the Pacific and beyond? Then why not come along to one of our HeritageTalks - Waha pū-taonga and hear more about both our personal and our shared heritage? Experts in specialised fields deliver these talks and provide insight into our histories.

HeritageTalks take place at least fortnightly, in the Whare Wānanga, Level 2, Central City Library unless otherwise stated.

Space is limited so booking is highly recommended although not always essential. To ensure your place, please phone Research Central on 09 890 2412 or book online.