The New Zealand Wars 1820–72
Men-at-Arms 487
Author: Ian Knight
Illustrator: Raffaele Ruggeri
This 48 page paperback book is number 487 in the Men-at-Arms series of books published by Osprey Publishing.
Between 1845 and 1872, various groups of Maori were involved in a series of wars of resistance against British settlers. The Maori had a fierce and long-established warrior tradition and subduing them took a lengthy British Army commitment, only surpassed in the Victorian period by that on the North-West Frontier of India. Warfare had been endemic in pre-colonial New Zealand and Maori groups maintained fortified villages or pas. The small early British coastal settlements were tolerated, and in the 1820s a chief named Hongi Hika travelled to Britain with a missionary and returned laden with gifts. He promptly exchanged these for muskets, and began an aggressive 15-year expansion. By the 1860s many Maori had acquired firearms and had perfected their bush-warfare tactics. In the last phase of the wars a religious movement, Pai Maarire (‘Hau Hau’), inspired remarkable guerrilla leaders such as Te Kooti Arikirangi to renewed resistance. This final phase saw a reduction in British Army forces. European victory was not total, but led to a negotiated peace that preserved some of the Maori people’s territories and freedoms.
The contents of this book are;
Introduction
- Pre-colonial Maori Society
- The Musket Wars 1820–43
- The Flagstaff War, 1843-47
- Wars for Land, 1850’s-70’s
- The Maori Warrior
- British Troops
- Colonial New Zealand Troops
- Further Reading
- Plate Commentaries
- Index
The book contains highly detailed art work, maps, line drawings and a number of very interesting period photographs. Wargamers and modelers alike will enjoy this book with all of its information that is presented.
