James Belich’s book is a tour de force. In a brilliant new analysis, he demolishes the received wisdom of the course and outcome of the new Zealand Wars . . . explains how we came by the version and why it is all wrong, and substitutes his own interpretation. It is a vigorous and splendidly stylish contribution to our historiography. – the New Zealand Listener This is not just a good book. It is a remarkable book. – Professor Keith Sinclair First published in 1986, James Belich’s groundbreaking book and the television series based upon it transformed New Zealanders’ understanding of the ‘bitter and bloody struggles’ between Maori and Pakeha in the nineteenth century. Revealing the enormous tactical and military skill of Maori, and the inability of the ‘Victorian interpretation of racial conflict’ to acknowledge those qualities, Belich’s account of the New Zealand Wars offered a very different picture from the one previously given in historical works. Maori, in Belich’s view, won the Northern War and stalemated the British in the Taranaki War of 1860–61 only to be defeated by 18,000 British troops in the Waikato War of 1863–64. The secret of effective Maori resistance was an innovative military system, the modern pa, a trench-and-bunker fortification of a sophistication not achieved in Europe until 1915. According to the author: ‘The degree of Maori success in all four major wars is still underestimated – even to the point where, in the case of one war, the wrong side is said to have won.’ This bestselling classic of New Zealand history is a must-read – and Belich’s larger argument about the impact of historical interpretation resonates today.

Spanning nearly two centuries from first contact through to settlement and apology, ​this major work focuses on the human impact of the war in the Waikato, its origins and aftermath.

The New Zealand Wars were a series of conflicts that profoundly shaped the course and direction of our nation’s history. Fought between the Crown and various groups of Māori between 1845 and 1872, the wars touched many aspects of life in nineteenth century New Zealand, even in those regions spared actual fighting. Physical remnants or reminders from these conflicts and their aftermath can be found all over the country, whether in central Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, or in more rural locations such as Te Pōrere or Te Awamutu. The wars are an integral part of the New Zealand story but we have not always cared to remember or acknowledge them. Today, however, interest in the wars is resurgent. Public figures are calling for the wars to be taught in all schools and a national day of commemoration was recently established. Following on from the best-selling The Great War for New Zealand, Vincent O'Malley's new book provides a highly accessible introduction to the causes, events and consequences of the New Zealand Wars. The text is supported by extensive full-colour illustrations as well as timelines, graphs and summary tables.

The New Zealand Wars of the 1840s and 1860s, other nineteenth-century military encounters, the South African War, the First and Second World Wars, Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, the Gulf War, modern-day peacekeeping . . . The Penguin Book of New Zealanders at War contains the best, widest range of published and non-published written material on our people in warfare. This is a soldier's book - thus letters, diaries, journalists' reports, memoirs. The focus is on actual experience and on human responses to war. A vast array of personal experiences is covered, including POWs, the home front, medical/nursing efforts, as well as coverage of conscientious objectors.

Commissioned by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, this interpretive history tackles New Zealand's most important department of state, the Treasury Department. The history of the complex interplay between New Zealand's government, economy, and people is detailed. McKinnon shows the perennial jousting of officials with ministers, the rise and fall of the accountants, the rise of the economists, and the impact of changes in the political scene and of events in the world economy.

Across the globe citizens are flexing their muscles, but they are also battling oppression and discrimination. What can history tell us about the state's duty to its citizens? As always, a good deal. This bold and timely new book brings political theorists and historians together to examine the role of, and need for, a critical, global and active civil society.

The first comprehensive guide to key documents and notable quotations on New Zealand's Treaty of Waitangi, this volume explores the relationship between the Maori and the Pakeha—New Zealanders who are not of Maori descent. Sourced from government publications, newspapers, letters, diaries, poems, songs, and cartoons, this enlightening anthology provides an introduction to the many voices that have shaped Maori and Pakeha history since 1840. The compilation includes primary historical sources in Maori as well as the English translations and covers numerous topics, including background to the treaty, the New Zealand Wars, the Maori Women's Movement, and Don Brash's politics. Thorough and informative, this is a significant work that will appeal to those interested in pacifism, biculturalism, and racial equality.

First published in 1974, A Show of Justice remains the essential and definitive text on official policies towards the M&āori people in the nineteenth century. Professor Ward shows how an understanding of the past explains why M&āori today, formally equal under the law, continue having to demand rights assured under the Treaty of Waitangi and why major issues have yet to be recognised and addressed. A Show of Justice also has a glossary of M&āori terms, a full index and notes.