New Zealand's colonial history is relatively short. Captain Cook didn't plant the British flag here until 1769, just 7 years before the American Declaration of Independence, and it was another 30 years before the first settlers began to put down roots. The Maori, on the other hand, had already been living in Aotearoa, the 'Land of the Long White Cloud', for more than 700 years when Cook arrived. The colonials soon became adept at exploiting the Maori's tribal divisions and their lack of familiarity with western technology. Within a century of Cook's arrival, the indigenous population was in danger of losing its traditional way of life altogether as the colonial farmers prospered after buying up huge tracts of Maori land and resources. In the last 20 years or so, the Maori have made a comeback and most fair-minded New Zealanders support the new policy of biculturalism.