Joel Polack, 1: Hokianga
Chapter 1: Hokianga
There were few people living in New Zealand in New Zealand before the 1830s. The native1 population was just recovering from intertribal wars, but more significantly, they died of diseases spread by Europeans. There were some tens of thousands of natives scattered across the land and a few hundred Europeans, missionaries, escaped convicts, sealers, whalers, and a very few settlers. But although there were few people, there were vast forests with huge trees that were useful for masts of naval ships, masts that were largely obtained from Russia before, but with the Russo-Turkish wars of the time, were not available. There was also plentiful flax, that was thought to be suitable for rope making, but proved to be in need processing. Entrepreneurs in Sydney were interested in the potential of trade in this distant land, among them Joseph Barrow Montefiore, the notable early nineteenth century New South Wales merchant, who had trading interests in New Zealand and trading posts in Poverty Bay and Hokianga3
It was perhaps Joseph Barrow Montefiore, who persuaded Joel Polack, footloose and always ready for new adventure, to sail to Hokianga, and from there to travel to the Kaipara to find out whether the Kaipara River, known to have several shifting bars at its entrance, had a channel of sufficient depth for the navigation of large vessels4. He needed an enterprising young man, undaunted by the strange, unknown land and the fierce savage reputation of its inhabitants. Although by then there were a few European settlers, living in the area, little was known of the interior of dense kauri forests. The Hokianga and Kaipara regions were lucrative sources of timber. Bringing ships up the river, closer to where the trees were harvested would have made a big difference to their accessibility.
Joel Polack was 24 years old, had just recently arrived back in Sydney after his disappointing stay in Afirca, and perhaps welcomed the opportunity to travel to a new land and explore new adventures. He had travelled all over the world, Africa, America. He was an artist, an illustrator. He was also an educated young man, familiar with the classics and with a broad range of travel literature. He had an aptitude for languages and a natural curiosity about people and places.
The following year Polack returned to the same region to purchase flax and spars for shipping and travelled extensively across the region. But the market for timber and flax trade was unpredictable. An enterprising young man, not afraid of facing the dangers of the unknown, could do better as a merchant.
Note: The term “Maori” would be inappropriate at this time, as the concept of “Maori” didn’t come into us until much later to distinguish Pakeha from Maori
1Wilson, ‘Scots — Before 1840: sailors and missionaries’, Te Ara — the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/221/horeke-hokianga (accessed 1 August 2023)
2The term “Maori” would be inappropriate at this time, as the concept of “Maori” didn’t come into us until much later to distinguish Pakeha from Maori
3 Hunt, G. (2000). The Rich List: Wealth and Enterprise in New Zealand. Auckland, Auckland University Press.
4 Polack, J. S. (1838). New Zealand; Being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures in the Country between 1831 and 1837 London, Richard Bentley.
