Hi there AHers,
I haven't been very active lately (and yes, I will contribute to my flagship TL, Stars & Sickles, soon enough), and will be pretty busy for a while with university and volunteering commitments, but I was thinking of embarking on a Of Rajahs and Hornbills-style TL set in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
The idea would be that it would focus on the development of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which was essentially a British protectorate in the North Island of New Zealand, but which was supplanted by the British with the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 (the United Tribes had been formed in 1835).
IOTL, the British settlers essentially ignored the guarantees that the British Crown seem to have earnestly wanted to implant in New Zealand, with a recognition of Maori sovereignty and the likes, but put it under a protectorate to prevent France from taking control. The actions of the settlers eroded away the various Maori iwi's (tribes') sovereignty and has had a hugely detrimental effect on the wellbeing of Maori, who (like the aboriginal peoples of places such as Canada) are over-represented in statistics relating to crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide.
The idea is to create a predominantly-Maori nation in Aotearoa, but which manages to take influences from Europe and benefit as much as possible. Things won't be perfect, and it wouldn't be "pulling a Meiji" as they'd never get to Japanese status as a great power, but it would be an interesting sociological enterprise.
Living in New Zealand, I have access to a lot of sources, although I'm not hugely familiar with them. But a TL about the subject would definitely stimulate my interest in researching the relevant information.
So, any interest?
I haven't been very active lately (and yes, I will contribute to my flagship TL, Stars & Sickles, soon enough), and will be pretty busy for a while with university and volunteering commitments, but I was thinking of embarking on a Of Rajahs and Hornbills-style TL set in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
The idea would be that it would focus on the development of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which was essentially a British protectorate in the North Island of New Zealand, but which was supplanted by the British with the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 (the United Tribes had been formed in 1835).
IOTL, the British settlers essentially ignored the guarantees that the British Crown seem to have earnestly wanted to implant in New Zealand, with a recognition of Maori sovereignty and the likes, but put it under a protectorate to prevent France from taking control. The actions of the settlers eroded away the various Maori iwi's (tribes') sovereignty and has had a hugely detrimental effect on the wellbeing of Maori, who (like the aboriginal peoples of places such as Canada) are over-represented in statistics relating to crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide.
The idea is to create a predominantly-Maori nation in Aotearoa, but which manages to take influences from Europe and benefit as much as possible. Things won't be perfect, and it wouldn't be "pulling a Meiji" as they'd never get to Japanese status as a great power, but it would be an interesting sociological enterprise.
Living in New Zealand, I have access to a lot of sources, although I'm not hugely familiar with them. But a TL about the subject would definitely stimulate my interest in researching the relevant information.
So, any interest?
