Explore the origins of the New Zealand Army Ngāti Tūmatauenga in our New Zealand Wars and South African War exhibitions. Learn how these conflicts shaped an army of volunteers, carrying them across our land and over the sea in the name of the British Empire.
The Musket Wars and the New Zealand Wars
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.
The New Zealand Army has its origins in the New Zealand Wars.
This is a temporary exhibition while we refresh and update our main New Zealand Wars gallery. Watch this space for updates on Ngā Pakanga mō Niu Tīreni | New Zealand Wars.
South African War
New Zealand’s first participation in an international conflict was the South African War, also referred to as the Second Anglo-Boer War or just the Boer War.
This was a British war, but to support the British Empire, New Zealand felt compelled to fight and sent 6,500 mounted troops to assist the British effort. Many men in New Zealand were keen to fight so the first troopers to go were selected on a financial basis. If you could provide your own horse, rifle and equipment to the tune of approximately £25.00 then you could go to war.
In total, New Zealand sent 10 contingents to South Africa, with the first two required to pay their own way. The war was fought from October 1899 to May 1902. It saw the birth of the New Zealand Mounted Rifleman as a tough, uncompromising and resourceful soldier as they fought the equally-tough Boer commandos on the high veldt of South Africa.
