Soldiers, Scouts and Spies

Book excerpt: A fascinating and detailed study of the major campaigns on the New Zealand Wars.As interest in the New Zealand Wars grows, Soldiers, Scouts andSpies offers a unique insight into the major campaigns fought between 1845 and 1864 by Britishtroops, their militia and Maori allies, and Maori iwi and coalitions.It was a time of rapid technological change. Maori were quick to adopt westernweaponry and evolve their tactics — and even political structures — as theylooked for ways to confront the might of the Imperial war machine. And Britain,despite being a military and economic super power, was challenged by a capableenemy in a difficult environment.This detailed examination of the Wars from a military perspective focuses onthe period of relatively conventional warfare before the increasingly &‘irregular'fighting of the late 1860s. It explains how and where the battles were fought, andtheir outcomes. Importantly, it also analyses the intelligence-gathering skills andprocesses of both British and Maori forces as each sought to understand andovercome their enemy.