A Short History of the New Zealand Wars

by Gordon McLauchlan

Following the ongoing success of A Short History of New Zealand, Great Tales of New Zealand History and Great Tales of Rural New Zealand - all reprinted and still going strong - Gordon McLauchlan has turned his masterful storytelling skills to one of the most important periods in this country's history. Published to coincide with New Zealand's first national day commemorating the wars on 28 October, this insightful and accessible book will be of interest to New Zealanders wanting to find out more about the New Zealand wars and the Maori struggle over land and political power (rangatiratanga) and their consequences for our country without having to wade through heavy tomes

Genres: History

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2017

About the author

Gordon William McLauchlan was a New Zealand writer and social historian.

Reviews

[Jamie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cheeky covid iso read courtesy of my husband, I love history and I found this book super interesting and hard to put down!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good quick intro to the issues, context, action and main players of the New Zealand Wars. A little disjointed in places, but boiling down a complex matrix of events and localities isn't easy. Well worth a read for anyone who wants to make a start on New Zealand history; and for a New Zealander the recognition of localities, and the names of colonial military figures and vessels that became the names of streets and towns, weaving into a colonial mythos that murmurs with a sense of disquiet as we go about our daily lives.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to a part of history I know very little about. Excellent book.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read that serves as a good primer for further exploration

[Jonathon Hagger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic entry point for anyone interested in learning about the history of Aotearoa and the battles that occurred in our history.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting history with information I didn't know. Very much focusses on the tactical and militaristic history.

[Caitlin Lees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super accessible introduction to the New Zealand land wars. It is very brief, but for anyone unfamiliar with this period of history, this is a brilliant place to start

[Mawrc Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read - liked it

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great entry point to the New Zealand land wars giving an overview of important battles and figureheads. The writing was also very captivating.