The Forgotten Wars: Why the Musket Wars matter today

Book Author Ron Crosby
Rights Available World excl. NZ and Australia

Muskets, potatoes and other introductions fundamentally altered the balance of power in early nineteenth-century New Zealand, leading to inter-iwi conflicts over almost 40 years that claimed tens of thousands of lives (killing, wounding or displacing up to half of the Māori population).

Distinguished author and lawyer Ron Crosby brilliantly revisits his seminal The Musket Wars on a thematic basis, simplifying it to a concise new work full of maps and illustrations for the general reader. Years of presentations to schools and groups is reflected in this dynamic new approach.

This important book will further understanding of how the boom of muskets continues to echo today. And it needs to — the wars are still neglected by government and glossed over by other histories. The Forgotten Wars ensures these epic conflicts will be remembered.

About the Author
Ron Crosby burst onto the New Zealand book scene in 1999 with The Musket Wars (still in print through Oratia Books), and has followed that with a range of other titles including NZSAS: The First Fifty Years. Formerly a barrister specialising in resource management and iwi claims, Ron was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2011. He lives in Blenheim with his wife Margy (Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri). A keen tramper and hunter, Ron and family have walked and visited many of the sites and trails featured in this book.