A century ago Maori were believed to be a "dying race", their population having declined rapidly as a result of European contact. This book provides a comprehensive and detailed account of how this decline was reversed in the years 1900-1918 through imaginative and wide-ranging action taken by Maori themselves. Lange concentrates on the contribution of the well-known "Young Maori Party" reformers, Maui Pomare, Peter Buck and Apirana Ngata, the early Maori nurses and the Maori Councils. He emphasizes throughout the conduct and impact of the reforms at grassroots level. Relying on extensive research, this is the first substantive study of a topic of wide interest, then and now. Of real value and significance to students of New Zealand, and especially Maori, history, it will also offer illuminating insights to those actively involved today in improving the health of Maori.