Pass the parcel

Did you know this country’s founding document is the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863? I know the popular answer is the Treaty of Waitangi, but perhaps a better answer is the legislation that made raupatu — land confiscations — and European settlement possible. The 19th-century statute made our pastoral tradition possible, the land stolen in its name hosts our suburban sprawl, and the agricultural and industrial economy it supports feeds our growing population. I mean, what is “New Zealand” without