The third reprint of “Frontier” contains additional illustrations and maps, plus a comprehensive index not found in earlier editions. "Frontier" outlines who fought who in the NZ Wars of the 1860s, describes when and where, backgrounds motives and alliances, and places events in their direct chronological sequence - essential for understanding the shifting nature of the conflict.

Why did James Belich claim repeatedly that Maori suffered “..only about one casualty at Waireka,” when Nigel Prickett’s research quickly uncovered multiple casualties including the deaths of several chiefs? Why did Rewi Maniapoto refuse help to the embattled tribes of Southern Taranaki? “Let Titokowaru be pecked by the seagulls,” Rewi said. What prompted Kepa’s warriors to track Te Kooti and the Ringatu from the upper Whanganui River to the Waioeka Gorge? Why did Belich claim the Armed Constabulary had just reached “peak efficiency”, when the record shows that many units were on the brink of mutiny due to the lack of food, equipment or pay? What formed the fighting alliance between the militia’s Colonel Tom Porter and the Ngati Porou chief Colonel Ropata? Why did Ngaruahine abandon Tauranga-Ika on the eve of battle – the strongest pa ever built?

Peter Maxwell explains the timeline and the terrain, telling the story in a manner few New Zealanders are familiar with, a story that has become politicized without first being understood. “Frontier” threads these complex events together, traces the campaigns on the ground, and treats both Maori and European fighting men with equal respect.