Waikato War

Tēnā tātou te iwi. No doubt you are all looking to a well deserved break with Term 1 at an end. What a tumultuous term it has been. I hope you all, especially those of you in Christchurch, have a safe and happy break.

I am pretty excited to draw your attention to our latest feature on the Waikato War. This was without doubt the key conflict of the New Zealand Wars and is a significant aspect to the broad survey of New Zealand in the 19th century. It was an interesting and challenging feature to write, as many of the New Zealand Wars topics have been. It seems to me that looking at conflict 'elsewhere' is much easier. There isn't necessarily the same sense of ownership, if that makes any sense. Examining conflict in our own community can open old wounds and pose particular challenges that can make people feel uncomfortable.

Conscious of the sensitivities surrounding this topic, I sent a draft of the feature to Tainui for feedback. Despite the long list of scholarly works on this topic the iwi involved in this war have their own established traditions and records that have not necessarily made it into what we might call the 'mainstream' accounts. Their feedback was invaluable. Hopefully this feature will help those of you studying this important time in our history and at the same time help put certain contemporary issues into a meaningful context.

Tēnā koutou katoa

Steve