After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi​—when there were only about 2,000 whites in New Zealand—​Europeans came in ever-increasing numbers. For a time there was peace. But then tensions mounted as whites wanted to buy land, but Maoris didn’t want to sell. Wars​—called the Maori Wars—​resulted with off and on fighting continuing from 1860 to 1872.

The Maoris were defeated and taken advantage of, as Dr. Grenfell Price, of the University of Adelaide, noted: “Maori leaders were dead or discredited. Maori lands were confiscated. The speculator and the publican found the native an easy prey.” My people had dwindled from 200,000 or more to only about 40,000. Maoris felt deprived of their rights, and it seemed their very existence as a race was threatened.

Yet, largely due to the Maori-White wars, the Maoris came to suffer severe problems. There was pressure on many of us to get involved in righting the wrongs that so many were saying had been committed against the Maoris. I remember a Mr. McDonnell, a European, who often visited dad and would discuss these matters, encouraging our doing more to help our people.