The New Zealand Wars

by James Belich

This trail-blazing book rewrites our understanding of the wars between Maori and Pakeha, and of colonial warfare in general. It is the inspiration for the five-part television documentary series of the same name which is written and presented by James Belich.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History

396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

James Belich is a historian and academic whose writing has focused on reinterpreting nineteenth-century New Zealand history, particularly the New Zealand Wars. His scholarship on Maori and Pakeha relations has received critical recognition and his book, The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict (1980), won the international Trevor Reed Memorial Prize for historical scholarship. He is a Professor of History, and in 2006 he was made an Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit.

Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A narrative of the small-scale but historically important series of clashes between the settler government and the Maori tribes around the North Island in the mid 1800s. This had its origins in a PhD thesis, and it clearly still shows, especially the author's obvious intention of "showing original thought and demonstrating a new slant on things". So we have a situation where the old colonial view of the wars - that the British/settlers were clearly superior - being thrown out almost completely and a new paradigm put in place in which the Maoris were almost completely superior. I'm no expert but having done a PhD of my own I suspect that there is a little of the author getting carried away here and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Still, the narrative itself provided me with an effective primer in an area I knew little about and really should. The writing is not overly complex, the flow is good and it doesn't outstay its welcome. Rated PG for some battle violence. 3/5

[Amarjeet Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite a refreshing analysis of history in an era otherwise stagnated by post-structuralist infestation in all fields of academia.

I came across this book in 2013 while researching for a school project on the Maori Land Wars. Belich's reputation as an impartial historian preceded him in my preliminary resources list and I picked up a dog-eared copy from my school library. Irrespective of the much cracked spine (it only added to the vintage sentiment of the book), I was instantly drawn into a world never seen before.

Incorporating contemporary sources from both the British military, the white settler and Maori perspectives Belich provides a surgical judgement on the New Zealand Wars also misnomered as the Maori Land Wars. He provides a much more realistic picture of the entire calamity as opposed to historians who primarily rely on the works of contemporary chroniclers who were far removed in London at the time and failed to distinguish between settler braggadocio and reality.

Overall, this is an engrossing read but-as with much of history-only for the interested ones and not readers looking for a lark in the park sort of memoir.

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A major revisionist history of New Zealand's colonial wars as well as commentary on imperial history writing. 26 years after it was first written it retains it power and has helped reshape our understanding not just of New Zealand history, but of colonial wars and occupation in general. Indispensible.

[Oggme19 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually easy to read but doesn’t mention the South Island once ?!? Feels a wee bit pathetic for a book called the New Zealand wars

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can tell that this was a PhD thesis that has since been 'bookified' through the way it tries its darndest to be original and contrarian to the received Historical narrative - and that's a good thing. This should be required reading for New Zealand high school students (or at least excerpts of it should, the book as a whole is a dense slog to read) in that it recontextualises the casual racism and self-satisfaction of the Pakeha worldview. White New Zealanders really don't have all that much to feel smug about, and this book puts a spotlight on that fact. If anything, it'll help North Island New Zealanders recalibrate the way they view their land, where the seemingly benign rolling hills of Taranaki and the Waikato instead become the backdrop of dramatic battles and high pathos.

[Thijs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed and thorough analysis of the Pakeha invasion of New Zealand.

Do not expect a memoir or collection of personal anecdotes of this war. It is an analysis, more intellectual then emotional. That doesn't mean there's no emotion in the book, but the focus is rather on the investigation of them.

It seemed extremely well researched to me. And some of the final chapters had some great quotes (explaining the game of football without mentioning the ball being my favourite.)

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for understanding the importance of revisionist history and to see it in practice.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book must read for kiddies who like books, plz dont read porn

[Conall O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic history of the wars and the context they occurred within.

[Jack Turpitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The New Zealand Wars is an incredible read and I'm blown away by how Belich is able to do so much in so few pages.

Not only does he give an in-depth accounts of the history of the 4 major conflicts between Māori and the colonial government, he also makes very compelling arguments regarding the historiography of New Zealand. He confronts the reality that the established history and "myths" of New Zealand are built primarily on colonial sources, then dissects the pressures that caused these actors to warp facts to their own ends. It even goes so far as to propose a general model that can be used to bypass some colonial biases while looking through the colonial lens.

More remarkably still, it achieves all of this while being exciting to read, maintaining a strong narrative thread, and bringing to the fore many of the compelling characters of the period.

It is essential reading on both New Zealand history and how New Zealand understand's that history.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a journey. The research here is incredible and borders on artistry at times (the forensic attention Belich affords to some of the pa sites, for example, or the cross-referencing between many different sources but with “weights” assigned to their views according to what their individual incentives might have been). It’s a bit of a slog at times and probably could have been structured better - I found the conclusion really helpful, for example, and upon reflection, something similar would have been extremely welcome at the start, for those who aren’t familiar with the broad timeline of the NZ wars. But overall, an excellent read, and a true credit to Belich. NZ is lucky to have a historian of his calibre.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first exposure to the New Zealand Wars. Even as a born and bred Kiwi, my entire education had conveniently overlooked this significant aspect of our national history - living in the South Island is not a good enough reason for it to be so completely omitted from primary or secondary curricula.

I only bought this book because it was a required text for the post-grad diploma that the New Zealand Army had signed me up for (much against my will: "It's the Army, private, you don't have a will...." at Waikato University.

The objective of this first course was to critally assess i.e. debunk the book and will it has many elements that are eminently debunkable, it is still one of the better and more complete accounts of this series of conflicts.

It fascinated me that Mother England had fought a series of wars in our nation that, even a century++ later, I had never even heard of. I read the book while my unit was supporting the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland and once I finished, many of our Maori soldiers borrowed it and then shared their own hapu and iwi perspectives on the conflicts - again totally enlightening and perspectuves I had never been exposed to before.

The book itself is well-written and offers a clear and coherant timeline from the initial engagements against the Empire through to the final actions some forty years later. I recommend it as a starting point for anyone interested in New Zealand and how we got to where we are today, and as a foundation for further research and reflection (encouraged).

[Dan Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable and interesting book. I was led to believe that race relations in the early days of New Zealand were much better than in other parts of the British Empire, with the Treaty of Waitangi establishing peaceful relations in 1840. The eruption of the New Zealand Wars shortly thereafter would seem to indicate different views on the meaning of the treaty, and look more familiar as the imposition of British rule over native peoples. Belich takes a favorable view of the coordination and implementation of the Maori resistance, and is critical of the contemporary and modern interpretation of the conflicts, which are decidedly (if unsurprisingly) pro-British. Very readable to the lay audience and an excellent overview of the main events and characters of the New Zealand Wars.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has taken me a while to finish the book through reading other things that have taken up my time. I found the book to be interesting and would like to visit more of the locations especially when I did not realise the campaigns were so involved. I had bought a book on the Kupapa not realising their role, which will make interesting reading especially on Te Kooti.

Something I found that I had not known was the other Pa sites throughout New Zealand had been evolving. I was under the impression Ruapekapeka Pa was one of the most advanced. Turns out that notion was wrong and there were others and Maori who had constructed them. I would recommend the book as part of reading on the New Zealand wars along with visiting some of the locations if you are able to.

[Matthew White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was distracted by other books, other tasks - and it's a re-reading - so took me a long time to finish. But, really informative (surprising information) and well worth reading. Great book to educate oneself. If history books are not for you, the television series can be found on YouTube.

Had to wait until the end for the knock-your-socks-off sentence (I think it's in the book of NZ Quotes):

With all due respect to British humanitarianism, one reason why NZ settlers didn't treat the Maoris as their Australian counterparts did the Aborigines was that, when they tried, they got killed.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first revisionist (in the literal sense, of seeing something again) history of the New Zealand civil wars between Maori and European settlers in the 1850s. He suggests that the political situation with Maori was much more complex than has previously been painted, and that the battles (frequently won by Maori) were not lost so much by European incompetence as by the rapid innovation in warfare technique by Maori. Readable, and there's a TV series that accompanies it.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 5 DVD documentary series is an excellent and generally entertaining study of the causes,conflict and consequences of the battle for control of New Zealand between indigenous Maori and British settlers. A really helpful series for anyone wanting to understand the background to the contemporary debates around Maori Treaty rights.

[Chris Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book for all New Zealanders

[Joe Sayers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really Enjoyed this book because it was about my Culture and saw how the English treated the Maori
s

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

good ol' Belich!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped change the way New Zealanders look at their own history and started a whole new wave of research into the wars that shaped New Zealand in the nineteenth century.