New Zealand 1837 CE

What is happening in New Zealand in 1837CE

A few small European settlements have been established on the coast of New Zealand from the 1790’s onwards, limited to whaling bases and Christian missions. Their impact on the Maori population has been huge, however, as traders have brought muskets with them, swapping them for food and other items. These firearms have destabilized the balance of forces within Maori society and led to a bloody period of inter-tribal warfare known as the Musket Wars. In these, some Maori tribes have been driven from their ancestral lands, whilst others have been eliminated completely. Furthermore, European diseases kill thousands of Maoris, by some estimates as many as half.