The Conversion of the Maori is the latest volume in the Studies in the History of Christian Missions series, which explores the significant, yet often contested, impact of Christian missions around the world. Timothy Yates introduces the history of missions among the Maori people of New Zealand in the mid-1800s. On the basis of painstaking archival research, Yates charts the change in society and religion over the course of nearly thirty years in detail, describing the historical development of the conversion process. The Conversion of the Maori is ecumenical and historically informed to give a balanced presentation of the conversion of a whole people.

Until 1939 the Maori people remained an almost wholly rural community, but during and after the second world war increasing numbers of them migrated in search of work to the cities, and urban groups of Maori were established. This development has significantly affected relationships, both between Maori and Europeans, and within the Maori people as a whole. The importance of Dr Metge's book lies in its presentation of a carefully documented comparative study of two Maori communities, one in a traditional rural area and the other in Auckland, New Zealand's largest industrial centre. Housing and domestic organization, marriage patterns, kinship structure, voluntary associations and leadership in both types of community are discussed. The author's survey and conclusions make a valuable practical contribution to Maori social studies, and also have a bearing on the world-wide problem of the urbanisation of cultural minorities.