Colinxy: Prelude to the Waikato Invasion (New Zealand Wars)

Modern revisionist narratives often portray the 1863 invasion of the Waikato as an unprovoked act of imperial aggression — sometimes even “illegal” by contemporary standards. But this framing collapses under scrutiny. It ignores the political context, the escalating violence around Auckland, and the strategic threat posed by the Kīngitanga (the Māori King Movement), which had become the centre of organised resistance to the Crown.

The reality is more complex and far less convenient for those who want a simple morality tale.

Mike Butler: NZ’s wars as they saw them

The Spark, the Logs, and the Gasoline, by Piers Seed, that presents the New Zealand wars in the words of those who were there, is an outstanding book that should be a gamechanger in New Zealand policy making.

This is the third book in which Seed applies the discipline he gained earning a Bachelor of Engineering in electronics to New Zealand history.

In Hoani’s Last Stand (2022), he proves without doubt that no women and children were herded into a church at Rangiaowhia (near Te Awamutu) on February 21, 1864, and burnt to death by colonial troops, as has been frequently claimed.

Taonga and Contra Proferentem (2023) analyses two “very wobbly” legal constructs that the Waitangi Tribunal has used in decisions over 40 years.

The New Zealand wars have been investigated for 162 years and have generated successive compensation payments, the latest of which totals $4.6-billion.

The perception of these conflicts has changed radically over the years.