The NZ Series: The New Zealand Wars by Matthew Wright. Pub. Oratia 2021

This is the latest edition to the NZ Series of historical facts that are a very valuable resource for New Zealand schools. This is a concise short version of a larger work by the same author but it doesn’t scrimp on fact and is a powerful work in it’s own right for primary, intermediate and high school students.

The book makes some very strong points about all the battles and skirmishes that took place between 1845 and 1872 when the last shots were fired and it continues into the the 1880’s with the Parihaka protests.

The book delves into who took part in the wars on both sides and makes the point that at times the wars were like a civil war as some Maori fought against their own if tribal aspirations were to their advantage.

The consequences of the wars were overwhelming for Maori who were not fought into submission but made Maori engage in the NZ economy which was to overwhelm them.

The wars never ended the battlefield just shifted to parliament and the courts and they are still being fought today.

Great descriptions , diagrams, maps, art works and photos of all the battles. The photos of Parihaka are astonishing and some i have never seen before. This series is absolutely essential in NZ schools and concise enough for students to read a whole work.