Author name: Robert Bruère

In the Great War (now known as World War 1), New Zealand’s casualties were over eighteen thousand dead. At the end of 1918 nearly half that number (9,000) died in our country during the Influenza Epidemic. Throughout the world 50 million died, twice the number who died as the result of the previous conflict. Many […]

The Influenza Epidemic killed a greater proportion of Māori, some 2,500 out of a population in the low 40,000’s. This was about seven times the casualty rate of that amongst the European (Pākehā) population. The 1890 Influenza epidemic claimed hundreds of Māori lives. Over time various diseases reduced Māori population to an all-time low at