I'm an Australian and I'm very interested in our colonial past and the conflicts that went a long with it. Recently I've been starting to look into New Zealands colonial conflicts and couldnt help but notice how successful the Maori were in comparison to the Aboriginals of Australia in fighting back. I'm hard pressed to find a conflict in Australian history where more than 10 SOLDIERS were killed but the Maori on the other hand were wiping out convoys left right and centre it seems. In the New Zealand wars 745 Europeans were killed and a bit over 2,000 Maori were killed but in the Australian frontier wars some 40-60,000 Aboriginals were killed with only 2000-2500 Europeans being slain. Why is that? Why were the Maori so much more effective in combating the colonisers?
Hey, I've been looking into this too. I think it comes down to the two very different cultures. The Australian Aboriginals were bands of hunter gatherers. The Maori were agriculturalists with a complex social structure & an already warlike culture. Maoris were keen on using new technology & adapting it to their own needs. The Aboriginals had little interest in anything the British had to offer. The maori were also recognised as being the owners of the land because they had chiefs & settlements. This meant that the British were willing to sign treaties & deal with them.
Where as Aboriginals were viewed as not having any rights to the land at all.