The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000

by Vincent O'Malley

A monumental new account of the defining conflict in New Zealand history. It was war in the Waikato in 1863–64 that shaped the nation in all kinds of ways: setting back Māori and Pākehā relations by several generations and allowing the government to begin to assert the kind of real control over the country that had eluded it since 1840.

Spanning nearly two centuries from first contact through to settlement and apology, ​Vincent ​O’Malley focuses on the human impact of the war, its origins and aftermath. Based on many years of research and illustrated throughout, The Great War for New Zealand is a groundbreaking book written in the conviction that a nation needs to own its history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

690 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Vincent O'Malley is a New Zealand historian who has written extensively on the history of Maori and Pakeha (European) relations in that country. He hold BA (Hons) and PhD degrees from the University of Canterbury and Victoria University of Wellington respectively and is a partner in HistoryWorks, a Wellington-based historical research consultancy that specialises in the Treaty of Waitangi.

His books include The New Zealand Wars/Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa (BWB, 2019), The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000 (BWB, 2016), Haerenga: Early Maori Journeys Across the Globe (BWB, 2015), Beyond the Imperial Frontier: The Contest for Colonial New Zealand (BWB, 2014), The Meeting Place: Maori and Pakeha Encounters, 1642-1840 (AUP, 2012, NZ Post Book Awards finalist, 2013), The Treaty of Waitangi Companion: Maori and Pakeha From Tasman to Today (with Bruce Stirling and Wally Penetito) (AUP, 2010), The Beating Heart: A Political and Socio-Economic History of Te Arawa (with David Armstrong) (Huia, 2008), and Agents of Autonomy: Maori Committees in the Nineteenth Century (Huia, 1998).

Reviews

[P.D.R. Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ouch! Required reading - even though it is a monster of a heavy book - for all New Zealanders who want to read an accurate and detailed account of what happened and still is happening.

I imagine it's a bit of a political hot potato. Good! Stir up a few politicians and the 'History is for the victors' school of historians. It's a hard read but not a difficult read. It's only hard when you have been taught the history from the 'correct' viewpoint. I recommend the book for all senior school students!

[Mat Tait · Rating 5 out of 5]

An astounding piece of work, which will likely be an eye-opener for, sadly, most living in New Zealand, about not so much a 'forgotten' conflict as one avoided by the culture at large for its deeply uncomfortable implications (of course the victims have never forgotten). O'Malley's thesis is that this war more than any other shaped the character of the newly colonised country, and it is possible while reading it to glimpse with some poignancy the alternate New Zealand, or perhaps Aotearoa, that might have existed had the ideals of the Treaty, and the aspirations of Māori, been respected. Best read the evening of a long, hot Waitangi Day.

[Amanda Nunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and much needed book about this important part of New Zealand history. I read it as research for my post on East Pukekohe Church.

Vincent provides a very readable account of the war including both its lead up and the fallout afterward. He has gone to great lengths to furnish the Maori perspective which has long been missing from our collective memory. It's especially important in that it helps to understand why there is still a sense of anger and unfairness, and why Ihumatao for example is such an important issue.

Unfortunately it does make hard going at some points, only because the content is so confronting. In the end this is the story of a great injustice, and the victims were never to see things put right.

Perhaps one day we will be able to add another chapter, and give this book a happier ending.

[Anthony O’Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent account of the invasion of the Waikato and the subsequent struggle for recognition of this shocking breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Based on extensive research and documentary analysis, first person accounts, contemporary newspaper reports, this us a history that most pakeha New Zealanders don’t know but should. The reminders are all around us, at Rangiriri, Mercer, Rangioawhia, Kihikihi and Orakau. Its a big book, and very heavy, partly due to the high quality paper and lavish illustrations. Harrowing in parts, including the sacking of Rangioawhia, the destruction of peaceful Maori settlements in what is now suburban South Auckland, and the utter dispossession of Waikato. What’s also sickening is the systematic denial of guaranteed rights under Te Tiriti, and the duplicity of successive governors and colonial politicians. Despite the large settlement of 1995 the struggle continues.

[Dale Edmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little dry because of the objectivity - some of what happens is so awful it could become gruesome or sentimental easily so he opts for a less descriptive style, but brilliant quotes effectively chosen and an absorbing read despite the length. I found the maps included less than helpful, but mostly I just wanted to read more. The bibliography is now on my to read list. I read the online version so the images were excellent, no idea for print.

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed history of the lead up to the Waikato wars and the aftermath up to the final 1995 settlement. Clearly the Maori were the victims of aggression led by Governor Brown, then Grey.
This led to substantial land confiscation by the crown. the genesis of generations of grievances.

[Kasandra Hart-Kaumoana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stupendous, but overlooks much of Ngāpuhi. Can guess why but 'tis a shame.

[Samuel Moncur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right out the bat - this book is 5/5. It is absolutely required reading for every New Zealander. I studied history at University, but I learnt a lot from this book. O'Malley does a fantastic job of weaving together both the Pākehā and the Māori stories to form a book that can not be accused of bias or having a lack of research.

I imagine parts of the book will be shocking to many people, especially those who believe that New Zealand's race relations have always been better than other countries around the world. O'Malley's analysis of battles such as Ōrākau and Rangiriri should definitely make people rethink when they claim that Treaty settlements are a waste of money. Similarly, the last chapter discussing the legacy of these wars also reaffirms the validity of these claims.

I disagree that this book is written in an uninteresting way - I believe that O'Malley has created an excellent focal point for scholarship on the New Zealand Wars and it is a huge credit to him that this is such a readable history as well.