Contested Ground: Te Whenua I Tohea - The Taranaki Wars 1860 - 1881

by Kelvin Day

The first shots were fired on Wiremu Kingi's Te Kohia pā on 17 March 1860, marking the start of twenty-one years of direct conflict between Māori and Pākehā in the Taranaki region interspersed with periods of uneasy peace, culminating in the invasion of the Parihaka settlement on 5 November 1881.

In Contested Ground: Te Whenua i Tohea, Kelvin Day brings together eleven distinguished academics and historians who provide fresh and engaging insights into this turbulent period, much sourced from previously overlooked material, and a remarkable collection of photographs and illustrations.

Essays include:

1. 'Amalgamating Māori?': Māori, Land Tenure and ‘Amalgamation' before 1860, Danny Keenan.
2. 'Origins of War in North Taranaki', Danny Keenan
3. 'Ripples Reach Te Tau Ihu', Māui John Mitchell and Hilary Mitchell
4. 'The Strategy of War: The Taranaki Wars and the Development of Māori and British Strategy', Richard Taylor
5. 'Pākehā and Māori Fortifications in Taranaki, 1860-1881: Form and Purpose', Nigel Prickett
6. 'The Māori Warrior and British Soldier', Tim Ryan
7.  'The British Army in Taranaki', Tim Ryan
8. 'Eyes on History: Pictorial Representations of the Taranaki Wars', Ruth Harvey
9. 'Fighting Words: Books of the Taranaki Wars 1860-1923', Andrew Moffat
10. 'War and Police: The Armed Constabulary in the Taranaki Wars', Richard Hill
11. 'New Kind of Resistance: Parihaka and the Struggle for Peace', Hazel Riseborough
12. 'Te Muru me te Raupatu: The Aftermath', Peter Adds

2010 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Taranaki Wars, and this thoughtful and informative volume helps shed new light on the people and political landscape of 19th century Taranaki and the legacy of the wars on the history of Aotearoa New Zealand.

WINNER of the 'Best Book in Higher Education' in the CLL Educational Publishing Awards 2011

Category: History | Recent Releases

ISBN: 978-1-86969-411-1
Dimensions: 210 x 297
Pages: 378
Format: hardcover
Language: English
Publication Date: April 2010

Price: $60.00Add to cart