Historians objected to New Zealand Prime Minister's statement that the country was settled peacefully. Last week, Mr Key said New Zealand was one of the few nations in the world that was settled "peacefully" despite earlier reports of the Maori not ceding their sovereignty to the Crown.

The prime minister previously said that the Maori and Britain signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 at a peaceful period in New Zealand. He said that between 1845 and 1875, there was significant conflict in the country and defined "settlement" as the time when the treaty was signed by the Maori and the Crown.

However, a history lecturer at Waikato University believes it was too simplistic for Mr Key to remark that New Zealand was settled in a peaceful manner. Nepia Mahuika said there needs to be broader understanding of New Zealand's history and not just moments in time. He said there were certainly peaceful moments but declaring that New Zealand was settled peacefully was "a bit misleading", according to a report by Radio New Zealand.

Mahuika said he was disappointed at the prime minister for thinking that way. The view also made him ponder at what New Zealanders think about their history. The historian said there are problems if people believe Mr Key's statement.

Auckland University senior lecturer Aroha Harris said the point in time being questioned had conflict and tension. She claimed she didn't hear the prime minister make the distinction between colonisation and settlement before. Harris believes Mr Key did not want to admit his error when he made the comments.

A Tauranga Maori historian had earlier questioned Mr Key's sense of history. Awanuiarangi Black said he was not sure of Mr Key knows about the colonial government confiscating land from the Maori in Tauranga in 1800s. Black had composed a haka about the anguish of his ancestors when the British troops had attacked Gate Pa in 1864. It was a "tame account" of the actual events of the Crown's invasion. He remarked that Mr Key has possibly a shallow knowledge of history.