NZ Wars: Stories of Waitara

In 1860 the shots fired sparked decades - arguably generations - of conflict. RNZ's Tim Watkin looks at what sparked the conflict and his ancestors' arrival in the midst of these tensions.

Presented by Tim Watkin

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Taranaki Wars: Waitara and One Family's Journey

Episode 1
Shots fired in Taranaki in 1860 sparked decades of conflict and the country's longest running war. The rapidly growing settler population is desperate for more land while local iwi are more reluctant to sell. In part three, we look at the New Zealand Company's dodgy deals and resulting battles, Ngāti Maru's fight to reclaim the land and one settler family's dreams as they arrive amidst the years of conflict.
Land sale maps from Taranaki circa 1880s, with Huiroa to the fore and Waitara in the backgorund. The Waitara Dispute started the Taranaki Wars in 1860.