[6][7] The Reader's reviewer Lincoln Gould praised it for exploring the impact of British colonisation on Māori land ownership in New Zealand.

In the book, he argued "that New Zealand's two peoples–tangata whenua and subsequent migrants–worked together to built an open, liberal society based on sometimes frayed social contracts."

Belgrave argued that Māori advocates viewed the Treaty of Waitangi as a sacred compact between rangatira (tribal nobles) and the Crown.

[10] Chris Trotter gave a more critical review of the book in the New Zealand Listener, describing it as revisionist history and comparing it to the 1619 Project.

[11] In September 2019, Belgrave welcomed moves by the Sixth Labour Government to incorporate New Zealand history into the national school curriculum from 2012.

He argued that making the teaching of New Zealand history compulsory would force young people to "confront the challenging questions of inequality, racism and legacies of the Empire.