For more than 30 years Aotearoa was beset by warfare as Māori hapū and iwi made use of new gunpowder weapons to settle old disputes with rivals. It’s estimated 50 thousand people were directly affected - killed, injured, enslaved, or forced to migrate from traditional lands.
These conflicts had a massive impact on everything from the Treaty of Waitangi, to the battles of the New Zealand Wars.
These days they are most commonly known as The Musket Wars.
