History of Maori People
Treaty of Waitangi
Maori Wars
Traditions of the Maori
European Arrival
The first of the European voyagers arrived in the early 1640's. A Dutch explorer by the name of Abel Tasman (the island of Tasmania is named after him) docked in what is now known as Golden bay, and in his only encounter with the Maori, four of his sailors were murdered and eaten. Abel Tasman thus quickly departed naming the bay "Murderers Bay." The next major European encounter, nearly a hundred years later, did not end as such, however. Captain James Cook, traveling in the Endeavor, successfully mapped the coastline of New Zealand and initiated the desire to colonize, despite Maori protests.
For the next century or so, New Zealand's natural resources were exploited. Whalers and sealers started as temporary settlers who soon had depleted the population of seals and whales. As more and more settlers traveled to New Zealand, so did disease, prostitution and firearms. Alcohol, tobacco tuberculoses, measles, venereal diseases and overcrowding played a huge part in the massive decline in the population of the Maori.
The introduction of weaponry was particularly deadly to the Maori. The tribes that managed to attain weapons from the Europeans had an enormous advantage over those who didn't. In head-to-head battles, bravery started to count for less and all that mattered was who had more firepower and who was willing to be ruthless in order to gain superiority.
As a greater number of colonizers arrived, so did the demand for land. Land disputes became the biggest reason for warfare between two tribes, or a tribe and a group of settlers.