The settlers soon outnumbered the Maori, who A were expected to die out, and the land was cleared and used for sheep, cows and crops. The settlers brought deer, horses, rabbits, Australian possums, cats, rats and mice with them. With no natural enemies, these animals multiplied so quickly that they became pests - even the horses.

The British Settlers did not take the Treaty of Waitangi seriously. Wars broke out in the 1860s and 70s between the colonists and the Maoris over land ownership. After the Maori defeat, the government punished them by taking more of their land. Recently the government has admitted that this was wrong and have awarded the Maoris compensation. One tribe received $170 million. In 1995, Queen Elizabeth II, the Maori Queen Dame Te Ata and Prime Minister Jim Bolger signed the Tainui Settlement which contained an apology for past wrongs to the Maori.

The idea of tino rangatiratanga has become very important in New Zealand, but land ownership is still contested.

“In the English-speaking World”