History professor is CENSORED – for one detail in his lecture: ‘It could be seen as us agreeing with Britain’s conquest of the world’

A history professor has canceled his lecture at New Zealand’s National Library after staff asked him to remove a quote because it “could be seen as an agreement for Britain to conquer the world.”

Respected historian Paul Moon was due to give a lecture at the National Library of New Zealand in February and recently shared a summary of his talk with organizers.

The subject was British policy in the run-up to New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi – an area Prof Moon has been researching for thirty years.

But the library repeatedly asked him to remove parts of his speech.

On Thursday, a staff member contacted Professor Moon and said the library director wanted him to remove a quote from historian John Seeley, which famously described the British Empire being “conquered in a fit of absence spirit’.

“You could see it as an agreement for Britain to conquer the world,” the staffer said.

‘Nowadays everything can be read as political.

“Personally, I saw nothing wrong with the quote, but I pass on the director’s wish to have it removed. Hopefully this can be done easily.”

Employees of the National Library contacted Prof. on Thursday. Moon and asked him to remove a quote from historian John Seeley

Paul Moon is professor of history at Auckland University of Technology and author of several books

But Prof Moon told Daily Mail Australia the quote was intended to demonstrate the chaotic and haphazard nature of British colonization of New Zealand.

British plans to take sovereignty over New Zealand with the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 were put into action within months, he explained.

“Seeley summarized that in the quote and I thought it was quite useful – it has been used by many historians,” Prof Moon said.

“There was absolutely nothing controversial about what I was about to say. There’s nothing special or radical about it.’

Interpreting the quote as support for British colonization was an ‘extremely ill-informed view’.

“But what may make matters worse are the attempts to control what is said or written by someone the library has invited as a speaker.”

The library had previously objected to Professor Moon’s use of the term ‘whakapapa’ – the Maori word for genealogy – in the speech and asked him to remove it, which he reluctantly did.

No reason was given and Professor Moon was surprised as the inclusion of Maori terms was ‘one of the things we were encouraged to do’.

Professor Moon said he had canceled his lecture at the National Library of New Zealand in Wellington on principle

When the library subsequently asked Prof. Moon to remove Seeley’s quote, he canceled his lecture on principle.

“Given these efforts by the library to enforce certain aspects of my speech, I had no choice but to cancel my flights and my appearance in Wellington in February.

“The easiest thing for me to do is say, OK, I’ll comply with your request, and I’ll censor myself and people won’t get the full story because that’s what the library wants.

“They are obviously extremely sensitive to criticism and the irony is that they have now opened themselves up to a lot of criticism.”

The historian said he has been lecturing for decades – including to 15 marae this year – and has never before been asked to remove material from his speeches.

Director of Public Engagement at the National Library, Alison McIntyre, said the library ‘is proud to host a variety of speakers on different topics, through its E oho! Waitangi series and others’.

“Our correspondence with Mr Moon discussed how the National Library would promote the event on our official channels,” Ms McIntyre said.

‘When promoting events on our official channels, we focus on the details and subject matter of the event, rather than specific views.

The library had previously objected to Prof Moon’s use of the term ‘whakapapa’ – the Maori word for genealogy – in the speech and asked him to remove it, which he reluctantly did.

‘National Library supports all its speakers to personally promote their lectures and works, in whatever way possible.

“We are disappointed that Mr Moon has canceled his lecture and would welcome him to give another presentation at the National Library in the future if he so wishes.”

Prof Moon is professor of history at Auckland University of Technology.

He is the author of dozens of books, specializing in the Treaty of Waitangi and the early period of Crown Government in New Zealand.