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FRONTIER
The Battle for the North Island of New Zealand 1860-1872
"..'Frontier' strikes an important blow for historiographic democracy
and should be honoured as such." - National Business Review
"..a thought provoking view of Maori-pakeha relations and New Zealand
history that should not be missed." - Hawke's Bay Herald Tribune
"..written with passion and conviction.." - Otago Daily Times
“Frontier” second edition (revised*) now reprinted -
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The first edition of Peter Maxwell's controversial book about the New Zealand Wars sold out in 2002. The revised edition sold out in 2009.
* The latest updated 2011 edition contains maps, illustrations and a comprehensive index not found in the first edition.
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Ordering Info
"Frontier" may now be ordered direct from:
Peter Maxwell
RD 2, Waihi 3682
New Zealand
Tel: 07 863 6909
Fax: 07 863 8289.
Email: nzguns@clear.net.nz
Price: NZ$46.50 per copy, postage included within New Zealand. Payment may be made by cheque, or by Visa or Mastercard.
April 1864: "Orakau fell on Saturday 2 April 1864. Four days later on Wednesday the 6th of April, south of New Plymouth, members of a detachment of militia were ambushed and ritualistically decapitated.
The following day, Thursday 7 April, a party of Arawa canoed the length of Lake Rotoiti to do battle with a contingent of East Coast warriors attempting to forge a passage through their territory. Three weeks
later on the Bay of Plenty coast British gunboats shelled a war party making its way along the beach south of the Maketu headland. The following morning, 29 April, at Tauranga, a 1400 strong British force stormed
Gate Pa. They were repulsed with huge losses, and within 24 hours of that on the other side of the Island, Maori raiders delivered a fanatical attack on a redoubt at Sentry Hill, located midway between Bell Block
and the disputed land at Waitara. A three day siege, a ruthless pursuit, ambush, beheadings, journeys by canoe, naval bombardments, the destruction of an officer corps, the emergence of a new and warlike
religious cult - all took place in April 1864 - a month of mysticism and mayhem from coast to coast..."
July 1868: "..there is confusion regarding the respective number of fighting men available to each side. Belich says that "Te Kooti had little more than half (the militia's) effective force.."
(TNZW - P. 222), while Gudgeon says that the militia had insufficient ammunition "...to hold in check a well armed and desperate body of men, more than twice their number." (G - P. 210) So this, the battle of
Paparatu, the battle that opened Te Kooti's legendary four year military campaign, that established his genius as a guerilla fighter - a key gunfight in New Zealand's well documented and meticulously
researched history of them - took place at a location named Paparatu which is described as being in the Te Arai valley, but which is not, and was fought between opposing sides each of which out-numbered the
other by a factor of two to one."
October 1869: "..the Ringatu accepted the offer of a haven on the Mokau, but by mid August, for motives not explained they returned to the southern foot of the lake - to the Rotoaira/Tokaanu region -
the lands of Tuwharetoa. This territory lay within the boundaries of the King Country, but at its remote south-east corner, separated by distance and mountain range from its populated heartland - the
Taumarunui/Puniu river/Kawhia harbour triangle. Here in the borderlands the government felt it possible to attack the Ringatu without risking a general uprising among Maoridom. This decision led to the
definitive battle of the frontier.”
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