- Paperback: 564 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books (NZ); Reprint edition (13 Oct 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0143018671
- ISBN-13: 978-0143018674
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 4.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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- #45 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Australasia & Pacific > Australasia > New Zealand
- #74 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Australasia & Pacific > Australasia > Australia
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Product Description
Product Description
New Zealand was the last country in the world to be discovered and settled by humankind. It was also the first to introduce a full democracy. Between those events, and in the century that followed the franchise, the movements and the conflicts of human history have been played out more intensively and more rapidly in New Zealand than anywhere else on Earth. This title tells that story in all its colour and drama. The narrative that emerges is an inclusive one about men and women, Maori and Pakeha. It shows that British motives in colonizing New Zealand were essentially humane; and that Maori, far from being passive victims of a "fatal impact", coped heroically with colonization and survived by selectively accepting and adapting what Western technology and culture had to offer. The latter part of the book reveals how an insulated and dependent British colony transformed itself into an independent nation, open to and competing with technological and cultural influences sweeping the globe.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having spent a month in New Zealand earlier this year I read Michael King's book when I got back to the daily grind. The blurbs on the back of the Kiwi edition seem to indicate that it is the seminal one-volume history of New Zealand. Not having read any other history of NZ I can't say how seminal it is, but it does give a comprehensive, clear and comprehensible description of New Zealand's development as a state and as a nation (or nations?).
King's writing is straightforward and pleasant, foregoing the staid formalism of more academic works; although occasional offhandedness seems a little too breezy. That shouldn't take away from the breadth and depth of the work, however. King's angle seems to be that the central problem for, and function of, the state, particularly as the years roll on, is to reconcile the differing views, mores, cultures, norms and, most importantly, concepts of property, of Maori and white New Zealander (Pakeha). Whether or not this is too revisionist a view I don't know.
Other subjects are well-covered too, particularly the peculiarly strong devotion to Empire, the role of war in forging a national, or at least Pakeha, consciousness, and the repeatedly disastrous consequences for the natural environment of human colonisation, memorably described as "future eating".
There seemed to be a couple of lacunae, although these may well stem from the fact that the book is intended for a New Zealand readership which has at least the most basic understanding of New Zealand's history - i.e. I may well be barking up the wrong tree. For instance, as I understand it, the Muldoon era was marked by divisiveness caused in part by Muldoon's power of personality. There's no real sense of this in the book. Second, King mentions the role of rugby in developing a distinctively Kiwi form of "mateship". But I would have expected that rugby deserved a few more lines - did the 1987 World Cup have any lasting bearing on New Zealand? I've also heard that the 1995 defeat precipitated the fall of the Shipley government in the next general election. Then again, as a one-volume history, the editing needs to be very tight. Third, as the previous review suggests, I Googled Littlewood Treaty and it does seem like it might be worth mentioning, even if only to verify or debunk the arguments surrounding it - King addresses the story of the Chatham Island Moriori people in just this manner. Finally, and this probably wouldn't be necessary in the New Zealand edition, a glossary of Maori terms would have been very helpful, as the sheer range of terms relating to kinship, tradition, honour, respect, land, authority and rank can become a little confusing.
Overall, though, King's work is very enjoyable and gives the reader a sense of the deep affection he holds for his native land. It does seem that his tragic death in 2004 robbed New Zealand of a good storyteller and a great historian. If you're not a Kiwi you'll have to take one or two things on trust but at least you'll have something to argue about the next time you bump into one in a bar.
King's writing is straightforward and pleasant, foregoing the staid formalism of more academic works; although occasional offhandedness seems a little too breezy. That shouldn't take away from the breadth and depth of the work, however. King's angle seems to be that the central problem for, and function of, the state, particularly as the years roll on, is to reconcile the differing views, mores, cultures, norms and, most importantly, concepts of property, of Maori and white New Zealander (Pakeha). Whether or not this is too revisionist a view I don't know.
Other subjects are well-covered too, particularly the peculiarly strong devotion to Empire, the role of war in forging a national, or at least Pakeha, consciousness, and the repeatedly disastrous consequences for the natural environment of human colonisation, memorably described as "future eating".
There seemed to be a couple of lacunae, although these may well stem from the fact that the book is intended for a New Zealand readership which has at least the most basic understanding of New Zealand's history - i.e. I may well be barking up the wrong tree. For instance, as I understand it, the Muldoon era was marked by divisiveness caused in part by Muldoon's power of personality. There's no real sense of this in the book. Second, King mentions the role of rugby in developing a distinctively Kiwi form of "mateship". But I would have expected that rugby deserved a few more lines - did the 1987 World Cup have any lasting bearing on New Zealand? I've also heard that the 1995 defeat precipitated the fall of the Shipley government in the next general election. Then again, as a one-volume history, the editing needs to be very tight. Third, as the previous review suggests, I Googled Littlewood Treaty and it does seem like it might be worth mentioning, even if only to verify or debunk the arguments surrounding it - King addresses the story of the Chatham Island Moriori people in just this manner. Finally, and this probably wouldn't be necessary in the New Zealand edition, a glossary of Maori terms would have been very helpful, as the sheer range of terms relating to kinship, tradition, honour, respect, land, authority and rank can become a little confusing.
Overall, though, King's work is very enjoyable and gives the reader a sense of the deep affection he holds for his native land. It does seem that his tragic death in 2004 robbed New Zealand of a good storyteller and a great historian. If you're not a Kiwi you'll have to take one or two things on trust but at least you'll have something to argue about the next time you bump into one in a bar.
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It seems I'm writing this review a long time before the book is published. Well, don't worry, I do have the book... I bought it on arrival in New Zealand to read during my travels there.
Various reviews I have read of this book describe it as the ultimate review of New Zealand's history, and that the author Michael King who was one of the leading New Zealand historians before sadly dying in 2004, was the leading authority having written many books on his country's history.
And sure enough the book doesn't disappoint. It catalogues the history of New Zealand from initial settlement (well, at least the various theories of the initial settlements) right through to the current government. My main reason for getting this book was to learn more about the Maori interaction with British settlers and that was covered superbly.
I found this to be a very readable history book, not too dry, yet not too analytical either. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a Brit with an enduring interest in NZ now I have a daughter living there. I found this book informative and interesting from start to finish, and feel that I now have a general perspective of the history. A couple of minor criticisms: (1) it would really have been a help to have a glossary of the many Maori words used without explanation (and they don't generally appear in the index so it's no good looking there); (2) despite saying at the start that it is not a story of each important individual, the author does sometimes lapse into lists of authors and poets active at particular times, very few of whom I've heard of. The first of these two points stop my giving the book five stars but overall I would highly recommend it. I know that Maori-Pakeha relations are a consideration in almost every field of public activity, so I don't think that he overdoes the Maori community history - in fact I found it quite interesting.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An unusually complete work of quiet patriotism
As King explains, New Zealanders like himself are only a few generations removed from the Western settlement and "founding" of his country. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Brian Griffith
Highly readable yet slightly nauseating
I bought this as it is widely considered `the' history of my new home - it's in all the shops and is widely known. Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2008 by Overseas Reviewer
Good but not great
I enjoyed this book and found it helpful for spending time in New Zealand on business and with friends, and for understanding news from New Zealand. So why only three stars? Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2007 by Floyd Smith
Political to the end
I read this book a few years ago. King committed a serious diversion. He completely omits any mention of the Littlewood treaty document. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2006 by Michaela Allen
Excellent
This is an excellent, diligently researched, comprehensive and highly readable history by the country's pre-eminent historian. Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2006 by Rose Hoare
Very PC, but an excellent introduction for emigrants.
As an ex-pat NZer with an interest in history and living in Europe I looked forward to reading this book. Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2006
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