Abstract
In European judgment the Maoris of New Zealand are the finest of the Polynesians. The intelligence, courage and dignity of the Maori leaders have won the admiration of those who have met them in council or in the field. Their virtues have been extolled by able writers in the past and if to-day the average Maori appears to have fallen from the high standard set by an earlier generation, then that is all the more reason for turning back a hundred years to the days when the Maoris lived and fought as they pleased, when a chief was a chief, and a toa (warrior) played the part expected of him.
New Zealand history does not go back so far that we can afford to pass over the Maori part of it. This is especially true of that section which refers to the period immediately preceding definite European settlement. Modern man is keenly interested in the past and research is being made into the histories of all races. Maori history is of great interest to the New Zealander, partly because it is the history of the land of his birth and partly because of its inherent epic qualities.