The Beating Heart details the determined efforts since the 1830s of Te Arawa tribes to work with the Crown and settlers to pursue a mutually advantageous relationship under the Treaty while at the same time maintaining their autonomy, culture, and control over their land and resources. Although the ultimate outcomes were often calamitous for Te Arawa, the underlying theme of this work is positive. The tribes never ceased to struggle for a genuinely bicultural future. The Beating Heart tells the story of the survival and resurgence of a dynamic people under circumstances that were often extreme and, as such, reflects the experiences of many other iwi in New Zealand today.