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Trading Blows
What Drove the Musket Wars
Brief Description
During the first decades of the nineteenth century, New Zealand was swept by inter-tribal warfare of unprecedented scale, in struggles that became known as the Musket Wars. They lasted a generation and profoundly shaped modern New Zealand, with influence extending to the locations of main centres—Auckland,...
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October 2026
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Trading Blows
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- Impeccably researched and written by prolific historian - Analyses the forces that drove the major conflicts between Maori in the early nineteenth century - Insightful history demonstrates how the Musket Wars shaped modern New Zealand
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Description
During the first decades of the nineteenth century, New Zealand was swept by inter-tribal warfare of unprecedented scale, in struggles that became known as the Musket Wars. They lasted a generation and profoundly shaped modern New Zealand, with influence extending to the locations of main centres—Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth, Nelson, and Napier among others. Multiple race-relations issues today can be traced to the same events.
And yet these dramatic years have largely gone under the historical radar. Even the colonial name Musket Wars has survived, although muskets did not feature in quantity until the wars were well under way.
In this significant work, historian Matthew Wright goes beyond the battles to look at the causes of this dramatic and exciting period, a time when Britain's full range of industrial products crashed into New Zealand and drove a Māori economic revolution.
He explores why one consequence of that revolution was warfare, how the new technologies altered Māori life, and why the cycle of utu ended, in clear prose supported by helpful maps.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781991353023
Publisher: Oratia Media
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 22 October 2026
Country: New Zealand
Imprint: Oratia Books
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 160.0mm
Height: 240.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 224
About the Author
Matthew Wright is the author of over 60 books on topics ranging from history to science and engineering, for all ages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His books include Living on Shaky Ground, explaining the science behind earthquakes; the Bateman Illustrated History of New Zealand; Freyberg, a Life's Journey, the biography of Bernard Freyberg; and the popular introductory book The New Zealand Wars. Matthew lives in Wellington, New Zealand (see matthewwright.net).
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