The Great War is now typically regarded as senseless and futile, but
most New Zealanders at the time, rightly or wrongly, considered it to be
a war to preserve security and freedoms, to punish an aggressive enemy,
and to win a better world. Yet the war years proved a tumultuous time,
and bitterness and animosities ran alongside idealism and sacrifice.
Divisive issues, economic volatility and a rising death toll all
threatened resolve. The Home Front offers a compelling account of how
a small and developing country confronted the complex questions and
brutal realities of a world war.