Pressure grows on Māori to sell more land as the Pākehā population grows.

A few tribes have become nearly landless and others fear losing their lands.

Land is not only an economic resource, but also the basis of Māori identity and a connection with their ancestors.

Land is held communally; it is not given up without discussion and consultation—or loss during warfare.

Pākehā have little understanding of all this and accuse Māori of holding onto land they do not use efficiently.

Competition for land is a primary cause of the New Zealand Land Wars of the 1860s and 1870s, in which the Taranaki and Waikato regions are invaded by colonial troops and Māori of these regions have much of their land taken from them.

The wars and confiscation leave bitterness that remains to the present day.

Some iwi have sided with the government and, later, will fight with the government.

They are motivated partly by the thought that an alliance with the government will benefit them, and partly by old feuds with the iwi they fight against.

One result of their co-operation strategy is the establishment of the four Māori seats in parliament, in 1867.