Early trade relationships established between Māori and Pākehā upset the balance of power that existed in New Zealand. A major power shift came through the trade and purchase of muskets. The new technology changed Māori warfare from close-quarter combat with weapons such as patu and taiaha into something that could happen from afar. With new weapons technology came new defensive technology and gunfighter pā began to be established. Over 60,000 Māori were killed, enslaved, or displaced from their lands during the Musket Wars. The shift in tribal territories and boundaries that occurred during the Musket Wars period of 1806 – 1845 left a legacy that directly impacted the New Zealand Wars that followed.
On 6 Feburary 1840, Te Tiriti o Waitangi | the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between rangatira Māori and representatives of the British Crown. Nine sheets that made up this treaty travelled to parts of New Zealand for the rest of that year, gathering over 540 signatures. Not every iwi or hapū signed the treaty, but to the British Government it was enough to declare sovereignty over the lands and people of New Zealand – something that the Māori version of this document did not cede.
Between 1843 and 1881 conflicts raged across different areas of New Zealand, spurred on by disagreements over land and sovereignty. These are now known as the New Zealand Wars. Over 3.6 million acres of Māori land was confiscated as a result of the New Zealand Wars, and millions more acres were alienated through legislation.
The loss of life, loss of land, and loss of mana has had a severe impact on contemporary New Zealand.
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