Would agree with every responses so far, it’s human nature innit? Then the British were ruling the world and pretty much owned large chunk of our planet and wanted to explore more. As did the French, Spaniards, Portuguese to an extent too.
We literally built empires around the globe, of course it hasn’t been pretty and slaves were employed, killings and pillaging occurred, and so forth.
But now, to depict Maori, or the US natives, whoever else as poor victims is going a tad too far. I have empathy, but if these people have had the manpower and war machines we had then, and if Europe had been still Neanderthals with sticks, I doubt our fate would have been so much better.
Empathy and being compassionate I can agree with, just not claiming « poor man » 250 years later.