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New Zealand Wars Facts & Worksheets

the New Zealand Wars (from 1854 to 1872) were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand.

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From 1854 to 1872, the New Zealand Wars were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand. It was a conflict between the New Zealand Government (British and Colonial forces) with the Maōri who allied themselves with the government, and Māori people and settlers who were not willing to sell their lands to the rapidly growing European population. Most people who died were Māori.

See the fact file below for more information on the New Zealand Wars or alternatively, you can download our 23-page New Zealand Wars worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

PARTICIPANTS AND BELLIGERENTS

  • The New Zealand Wars was a fight between the British Empire, (comprising of the New Zealand Government, New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, along with the Kupapa) and the Māori natives of New Zealand.
  • The Māori who were involved came from a range of iwi, mostly allied with the Kingitanga movement.
  • The Māori were opposed by a mix of Imperial troops, local militia groups, Forest Rangers headed by Gustavus Von Tempsky, and kupapa, also known as the “loyalist” Māori.
  • There were 1,250 Imperial troops in New Zealand in 1855 from two under-strength British regiments.
  • Both were scheduled to depart at the end of the year yet Browne retained one for use in New Plymouth, where settlers were afraid of the spread of intertribal violence.
  • Reinforcements were brought to Auckland to boost the New Plymouth Garrison during the outbreak of Taranaki Hostilities in the 1860’s, raising the force of regulars by 450.
  • At its peak deployment, there were an estimated 18,000 soldiers on the side of the British Empire.
  • There was a total estimate of 5,000 tribesmen who fought on the side of the Maōri iwi.

CONFLICTS AND TIMELINE

  • The series of conflicts that were part of the New Zealand Wars were Wairau Affray, Flagstaff War, Hutt Valley and Wanganui campaigns, First Taranaki War, First Taranaki War, Invasion of Waikato, Second Taranaki War, East Cape Wars, Titokowaru’s War, and Te Kooti’s War.
  • On June 17, 1843, the first armed conflict between Māori and the European settlers took place in the Wairau Valley, in the north of the South Island. It sparked when troops from the New Zealand Company attempted to clear off Maori people for land surveying.
  • Between March 1845 and January 1846, the Flagstaff War took place in the far north of New Zealand.
  • It sparked when Hone Heke taunted the British authorities by cutting down the flagstaff at Flagstaff Hill.
  • In 1846, the Hutt Valley and Wanganui campaigns served as a continuation of the Wairau Affray.
  • On March 17, 1860, the First Taranaki War happened at the disputed sale of a 240 hectare block of land at Waitara to The Crown.
  • The First Taranaki War was sparked by ignoring the vetoing of the paramount chief of the Te Āti Awa tribe, Wiremu Kīngi.
  • A so-called “solemn contract” was arbitrated by the local Maori for the land not to be sold.
  • On July 17, 1863, The Invasion of Waikato started when Governor Thomas Gore-Browne arranged a campaign to destroy Kingitanga.
  • The Hauhau movement became a unifying factor for Taranaki Māori in the absence of an individual Māori commander.
  • In April 1865, east coast hostilities erupted, resulting in the East Cape War.
  • In June 1868, war erupted again on Taranaki, which was led by Riwha Titokowaru, chief of the Ngāti Ruanui’s Ngaruahine hapu or sub-tribe.
  • In July 1868, a war was fought in the East Coast region, led by the followers of a spiritual leader named Te Kooti.

MORE FACTS

  • In the 1980s, it was commonly referred to as the “Land Wars” or Maōri Wars.
  • The term New Zealand Wars was first used by historian James Belich, in his 1987 book titled “The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian interpretation of racial conflict”.
  • The New Zealand Wars were initially triggered by local conflicts of land purchases.
  • Yet from 1860, it dramatically escalated when the government became convinced that the Maōri had united in order to form resistance, from not only further land purchases, but also as a refusal to acknowledge Crown sovereignty.
  • To overpower the Maōri King, Kingitanga, and to acquire farming and residential land for British settlers, the colonial government summoned thousands of British troops to lead on major campaigns.
  • The aims of the later campaigns were focused on the destruction of the so-called Hauhau movement, an extremist movement of the Pai Marire religion.
  • The colonial forces wanted to defeat the Hauhau Movement for they were strongly opposing the alienation of Maōri land and advocating to strengthen the Maōri identity.

WEAPONS

  • The main weapon that was used by the British forces was the pattern 1853 Enfield.
  • It was a rifled musket, loaded down like a conventional musket.
  • The only difference was the rifled barrel.
  • The rifle was 1.44 m long, 4 kg in weight, and had a 53 cm socket bayonet.
  • This rifle was also commonly used in the American Civil War.
  • The Calisher and Terry Carbine was a short rifle also used by the New Zealand Government.

CASUALTIES

  • There were 745 people killed from the British empire, including civilians who were British settlers.
  • There were 2,154 Maōri killed, including civilians.

New Zealand Wars Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about New Zealand Wars across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use New Zealand Wars worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the New Zealand Wars (from 1854 to 1872) which were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand. It was a conflict between the New Zealand Government (British and Colonial forces) with the Maōri who allied themselves with the government, and Māori people and settlers who were not willing to sell their lands to the rapidly growing European population. Most people who died were Māori.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • New Zealand Wars Facts
  • Wars Timeline
  • Brief Description
  • Complete Empire
  • Māori True or False
  • Mapping the Wars
  • Important People
  • War Slogans
  • Weapon Compare
  • Wars Aftermath
  • New Zealand Before & After

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Link will appear as New Zealand Wars Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 17, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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