Selected by the New Zealand Listener as one of the best books of 2019!
Selected by the New Zealand Herald as one of the best non-fiction books of the year!
Shortlisted for the Nonfiction Book Award at the New Zealand Heritage Book & Writing Awards 2019
'O’Malley successfully straddles the line between the simple and the simplistic. Some of the most traumatic moments of the wars … are dealt with briskly but delicately. Ngā Pakanga confirms O’Malley as one of New Zealand’s leading public historians.' – Rowan Light, Journal of Polynesian Society
'The beauty of this book is that the well-written chapters are supported by high quality pictures, maps and images of important artefacts from the time. Additional graphs and information also enhance a quality piece of work. O’Malley does well to pick out some of the smaller, near-forgotten, stories of these conflicts, such as Te Ahuahu in Northland, Hauraki and Hūnua, Rotoiti and Te Ngutu-o-te-manu, thereby ensuring that these important events are remembered. That said, he also does justice to some of the better-known battles, such as Ruapekapeka, Wairau, Rangariri, Orakau, Pukehinahina/Gate Pā, Turuturumōkai and Ngātapa.' – Carl Bradley, New Zealand Journal of History
'When this book arrived my initial reaction was, "Do we really need another potted history of the New Zealand Wars?" After reading it my answer is "Yes, we really do need this one."... O'Malley calmly and persuasively outlines the background to each cluster of conflicts, what fighting took place and what the outcomes were, all of it marvelously illustrated with contemporary pictures.' – New Zealand Herald
'The book, short though it is, enhances O’Malley’s reputation as the leading historian of the New Zealand Wars. He demonstrates complete mastery of the complex issues that have defeated others before him, and understands the importance of the wars to New Zealand today.' – Lyndall Ryan, History Australia
'O’Malley’s influential work perfectly captures the zeitgeist of 2019 Aotearoa New Zealand, a nation with an increasing appetite for devouring an accurate retelling of the wars that shaped it.' – Kristyn Harman, Journal of Pacific History
'It is very readable, with fine half-page illustrations – photographs taken of those of the times, both historic and recent artwork, and maps of conflict areas. Class sets should be mandatory in New Zealand schools.' – Gerry Te Kapa Coates, Te Karaka
'This is also a very attractive book, interspersed with photographs, maps and colour images of early colonial drawings and watercolours and the book design and layout, with plenty of sub-headings, makes the narrative very readable and engaging.' – Tony Eyre, Tui Motu
'The New Zealand Wars | Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa is well-written & illustrated, and comprises another forward step in establishing a truthful & accurate history of the founding years of our nation. It suggests itself as compulsory reading in our schools’ history classes.' – Barry Keane, The Reader
'This is an outstanding work. O'Malley calmly and persuasively outlines the background to each cluster of conflicts, what fight took place and the outcomes, all marvellously illustrated with contemporary pictures.' – New Zealand Herald
'The first thing most readers will notice is the unusually high standard of illustrations. In fact, they occupy nearly half of the book's pages, and constitute as profuse, fine and informative a selection of pictures as we have seen in a New Zealand history.' – Paul Little, North & South
'We are still a nation in shock from the Christchurch massacre, so you could feel the attention of the audience focus on the speaker when he said this wasn’t an unprecedented event. The change of mood was tangible. Māori lost their lives in a similar way. O’Malley’s message is a simple one. We need to grow up. We need to act like grown-ups and own our history, warts and all.'– Marcus Hobson, The Reader
'Vincent O’Malley demonstrates a genuine empathy in a retelling of New Zealand history that recognizes Māori knowledge, language, values and beliefs, our ingenuity and advanced theoretical systems, our ability to govern and manage our relationships, resources and future interests – attributes that, in the main, have been ignored or deselected as important histories in Aotearoa New Zealand.' – Hinekura Smith, Journal of New Zealand and Pacific Studies
‘I believe Vincent O'Malley's research will be the single most important historical body of work produced in my lifetime. Finally we have a narrative which carefully weaves both the accounts of the British Colonial government with those of hapū rangatira. While not all New Zealanders are ready to confront our past, this work will serve as a taonga for future generations. He mahi taipari whakarewa waka ngā whakaaro tēnei.’ – Mihingarangi Forbes
‘This book should be core curriculum for all New Zealanders . . . With every page, O’Malley exposes the nation’s deep wounds to the light and applies the healing balm of truth. I really wish this book had been available when I was studying New Zealand history at high school!’ – Arama Rata, University of Waikato
‘The text is an excellent first-up introduction to the causes, course, outcomes and legacy of the New Zealand Wars, strong on context then and now, and very readable. It is well balanced between the various campaigns, with less well known episodes receiving good attention, such as fighting on the East Coast and in the Bay of Plenty.’ – Nigel Prickett, archaeologist
‘The distinctive character of this work is its use of the recent research conducted for the Waitangi Tribunal. The tribunal research significantly informs the discussion of the origins of particular conflicts. The sense of broken promises and unfair pretexts on the part of Pākehā governments is well presented . . . this is a fine work which should be of use for people who know very little about the New Zealand Wars and should be of particular value in schools.’ – Jock Phillips, historian
‘This is a readable historical narrative that will appeal to teachers (including those who are not history specialists) and many secondary school students. Vincent’s attention to the causes of the New Zealand Wars is well suited to students in years 11–13 studying “the causes and consequences of an historical event”. The book clearly positions the New Zealand Wars as a contemporary, contested issue that matters deeply today, making it ideal for social studies teachers exploring contested memories of the past. I think this will be a hit in school libraries across the country.’– Michael Harcourt, education specialist
‘This book provides an excellent narrative of the New Zealand Wars for general readers, including high school students. . . . My hope is that it will spark further interest in these crucial events from New Zealand's past and encourage students and teachers to get out of their classrooms, visit the sites where events took place, and explore them for themselves." – Gregor Fountain, Principal, Wellington College
'[O'Malley] outlines how ongoing immigration from Britain and Ireland resulted in a soaring settler population, which created high demand for Māori land.' – Deena Coster, Stuff
'[O'Malley] walks us through the causes, course and consequences of the New Zealand Wars as a whole. It is a story played out on a ragged map, zigzagging across the North Island and the top of the South.' – Sally Blundell, Stuff
'[O'Malley's] latest work is The New Zealand Wars/ Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa, about the series of conflicts fought between the Crown and various groups of Māori between 1845 and 1872 that profoundly shaped the course and direction of New Zealand history.' – Radio New Zealand
'Ever wondered about the wars and why they happened? This is the ideal place to start.' – Philip Matthews, Stuff
Read 'Our trail of tears: the story of Ihumātao' in The Spinoff
Read 'What caused the New Zealand Wars?' in E-Tangata
Read 'New Zealand Wars, Land Wars, or Māori Wars — why does the name matter?' in E-Tangata
