On Monday Otago Girls' had the privilege of hosting esteemed New Zealand historian Dr Vincent O'Malley.

Students from Otago Girls' as well as students from around Dunedin attended his talk in the VPA and heard about his recent research into the topic of the New Zealand wars. O'Malley emphasised the importance of this area of study as it is only by understanding the past, and in particular the events of the various conflicts that occurred between 1845 and 1872 that New Zealanders can truly understand the significance and reasons behind what is happening today. He gave several examples to support this point and emphasised that New Zealand needs to embrace its history "warts and all" and that the challenge is to find new ways to talk about the history that is not divisive or finger pointing in nature. He argued that as a mature, responsible nation we should be up front and honest about our history as this is the basis for genuine reconciliation. Dr O'Malley outlined how the causes of the wars in part stemmed from the different interpretations and understandings of what the Treaty of Waitangi meant, namely was it partnership or primacy? He highlighted how the two central legacies of the New Zealand wars were that Māori were stripped of both their land and then their language as a result of the laws that were introduced after the wars. By having a greater awareness of the wars and these two factors in particular, New Zealanders can have a greater understanding and appreciation of how and why New Zealand has developed the way it has today. He argued that ultimately the New Zealand wars were therefore far more transformative for New Zealand than other events such as WW1. Overall, it was a highly engaging talk that led to a lot of questions and discussions at its conclusion.