Wars With the Maoris

The British government intended that land in New Zealand be purchased fairly from the Maoris. Land speculation on the North Island began, however, as soon as plans for colonization were made. Various questionable means of acquiring Maori land were devised. The Maoris realized that they were being cheated and incidents of violence resulted. Sporadic uprisings from 1844 to 1847 were followed by an interval of quiet.

Full-scale war began in 1860 and continued irregularly for 12 years. The conflict was confined to the North Island, and at no single time were all the Maori tribes at war. In fact, loyal Maoris fought with the colonial troops. Individual engagements were small, but the Maori custom of preserving and displaying the heads of slain enemies, and the ferocity of their attacks, made the conflict widely known. Consistently defeated, the Maoris ended the rebellion in 1872. Because of the frequent fighting, as well as exposure to new diseases and the change to an unfamiliar diet, their numbers had diminished steadily. By the 1890's there were fewer than 45,000 Maoris.

Important dates in New Zealand (1853-1900)
1853 Voters elected the first provincial councils and superintendents.
1854 Elections for the General Assembly were held.
1860 Prospectors discovered gold in Otago.
1860-1872 Settlers on the North Island fought Maori in the New Zealand Wars.
1862 The government established the Native Land Court to convert group Maori ownership of land into individual titles.
1863 Governor Sir George Grey ordered the invasion of the Waikato district. The colonial government passed legislation allowing the seizure of Maori land.
1867 The government set aside four seats in the House of Representatives for Maori members.
1890 The Liberal Party won the national election.
1893 Women were granted full voting rights.