Atlas of the New Zealand Wars

‘Derek Leask’s Atlas isa magnificent labour of love. It adds a whole new - visual - dimension to ourunderstanding of the New Zealand Wars.’ - James Belich, BeitProfessor of Global and Imperial History, University of Oxford

‘In this Atlasthe maps themselves tell stories: he kura i tangihia - a treasure saluted,remembered, wept over; he maimai aroha - a token of affection which weaves theheavens above and the earth below - kia tuia te rangi e tu nei, kia tuia tepapa e takoto nei, and those who have fled their mortal coils - ratou i weheaatu. I await with bated breath the second volume and Derek Leask’s explorationof the war in my homelands of Waikato and Te Rohe Potae, the King Country. Inthe words of our great Rangatira Wahanui: “Hanga paitia tatou kia piri ki tepiringa pono.” “Let us conduct ourselves in a proper way so that we may bebound together by a bond of unity.”’-Tom Roa (Ngati Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngati Apakura), Professor, Universityof Waikato

‘Leask’s Atlas providesa fresh window on New Zealand’s nineteenth-century wars. Through the vitalvocabulary of maps, charts and sketches we see how military commanders andnaval officers imagined, exercised and accounted for power. Remarkable in theexhaustive reach and detail of research, this is an invaluable addition to ourhistorical understanding.’ - Charlotte Macdonald,FRNZ, Professor Emerita, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington

‘This is a remarkablepublication. The range of maps and accompanying explanatory and contextual textis unprecedented in New Zealand historiography. It will be both an importantwork of reference and a contribution to scholarship.’ - Malcolm McKinnon, Editor, BatemanNew Zealand Historical Atlas: Ko Papatuanuku e Takoto Nei

‘The heightened interest inthe New Zealand Wars - possibly stemming from the new history curriculum -makes this book very timely indeed. As a fan of “go there” history - matchingwritten accounts of events with the actual landscape and topography - I findthe Atlas to be invaluable. It provides a setting which gives contextand a physical framework to accounts of the wars. This book is a must-have foranyone with more than a passing interest in the history of Aotearoa NewZealand.’ - Buddy Mikaere, NgatiPukenga, Ngati Ranginui, Ngati Pikiao, Tuhoe

‘Because officers andofficials were often trained in making sketches and competent watercolours, themaps uncovered in this book can be used to check written recollections and toreshape and correct our understanding of the New Zealand Wars. The maps revealwhole new sources of information about New Zealand history. Leask’s writingstyle is clear, simple and readable - so much so that I found myself reluctantto break off even to fetch more firewood. This is a landmark in New Zealandhistorical writing, one which all future writers of the early period willhenceforth have to keep in mind.’ - Gerald Hensley, former Head of the PrimeMinister’s Department and Secretary of Defence

‘This is an important work which has clearly taken the author manyyears of meticulous research in archival institutions around the world. Itbrings out into the open key maps and plans, many of which have laid hiddensince the time of the New Zealand Wars. The maps, which capture importantmoments in time, are powerful and revealing documents - they can be directlyrelated to modern-day landscapes and provide a rich layer of understanding forthose interested in the New Zealand Wars. Coupled with reports of the time,they allow battles to be re-examined and, in some cases, rethought as to howthey played out. This book will be an essential resource for those with aninterest in the New Zealand Wars.’ - Kelvin Day, editor of Contested Ground: The Taranaki Wars, 1860-1881

Derek Leask served in New Zealand’s foreign ministry from 1969 to 2012. He was ambassador to the European Union in Brussels from 1994 to 1999, Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Wellington from 2004 to 2008, and New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (and Ambassador to Ireland) from 2008 to 2012. Leask was born in Wellington and has degrees from Victoria University of Wellington (BCA) and the University of Canterbury (MCom, Hons-Economics).