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Neighbourly and unneighbourly behaviour in the Te Aroha district
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Hart, Philip |
| Copyright Year | 2016 |
| Abstract | As is to be expected, many examples could be found of neighbourly and unneighbourly behaviour. Because of the nature of their work, miners and indeed settlers generally had to help each other, and ‘fair play’ was a desired ideal. Residents mingled at weddings, funerals, farewells, and patriotic socials. When people were in need, assistance was given and money was raised by special events, and when fires broke out, everyone did their best to save both life and property. Despite such neighbourly acts, there were plenty of examples of quarrelsome residents and rude behaviour. In small settlements, prying and gossiping were endemic. Disliked residents were mocked, some practical jokes were malicious, and some libels were spread. In particular, local government politics provoked much bitterness over minor matters, and rivalry between Te Aroha and Waiorongomai could be friendly in sport but unfriendly on some issues. A detailed example of one prominent resident, Charles Ahier, is provided to illustrate how a pillar of the community was vilified and how he vilified his critics. Newspapers sometimes provided biased reporting, fanning the flames of petty disputes. But overall, squabbles were outweighed by positive interactions. MUTUAL AID BY FINE FELLOWS Henry Ernest Whitaker,1 when revisiting Te Aroha in 1886, told a banquet held in his honour that ‘he could safely say he had never met better fellows in his life, than those he had met at Te Aroha’.2 And writing in 1910, ‘Old Settler’ eulogized the pioneering farmers: I don’t believe I ever saw a finer, sturdier, hardworking lot in all my life. They were brimful of self-reliance, every man of them, always ready to help one another. In the midst of the busiest season, I have seen them up all night pulling a neighbour’s cattle out of the swamp and using every means to save the lives of the animals.3 1 See paper on Harry and Charles: Henry Ernest Whitaker and Charles Stanislaus |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/10453/No.%20119%20Neighbourly-unneighbourly.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=5 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
