Judith Binney

For Europeans during the nineteenth century, the Urewera was a remote and savagely enticing wilderness; for those who lived there, it was a sheltering heartland. This history documents the first hundred years of the "Rohe Potae" (the 'encircled lands' of the Urewera) following European contact. Early in the period the terrain was criss-crossed by missionaries and (from 1866) by government troops. In 1866-67 large areas were taken by confiscation of forced cession. At the end of the fighting in 1872, by the agreed terms of peace, the Urerewa became an autonomous district, governed by its own leaders. It's existence as a separate tribal district was formally ratified in 1896.

Te Urewera, 1820-1921

Encircled Lands

Atholl Anderson

Aroha Harris

Tangata Whenua: A History presents a rich narrative of the Māori past from ancient origins in South China to the twenty-first century, in a handy paperback format. The authoritative text is drawn directly from the award-winning Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History; the full text of the big hardback is available in a reader-friendly edition, ideal for students and for bedtime reading, and a perfect gift for those whose budgets do not stretch to the illustrated edition. Maps and diagrams complement the text, along with a full set of references and the important statistical appendix. Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History was published to widespread acclaim in late 2014. This magnificent history has featured regularly in the award lists: winner of the 2015 Royal Society Science Book Prize, shortlisted for the international Ernest Scott Prize, winner of the Te Kōrero o Mua (History) Award at the Ngā Kupu ora Aotearoa Māori Book Awards, and Gold in the Pride in Print Awards. The importance of this history to New Zealand cannot be overstated. Māori leaders emphatically endorsed the book, as have reviewers and younger commentators. They speak of the way Tangata Whenua draws together different strands of knowledge – from historical research through archaeology and science to oral tradition. They remark on the contribution this book makes to evolving knowledge, describing it as ‘a canvas to paint the future on’. And many comment on the contribution it makes to the growth of understanding between the people of this country.

A History

Tangata Whenua

Examining various political and cultural histories from New Zealand, this collection of essays from leading historians explores the country's complex, multivoiced past. Writers such as Tipene O'Regan and Alan Ward analyze New Zealand's Treaty of Waitangi, which intended to establish a peaceful relationship between European settlers and the Maori indigenous population. Judith Binney and Claudia Orange discuss Maori language traditions and histories. Raewyn Dalziel, Barbara Brookes, and Dean Wilson trace the women's movement of the 1970s in New Zealand. R. C. J. Stone, Caroline Daley, and Miles Fairburn debate issues of 19th-century New Zealand society. Essays from Erik Olssen and Keith Sinclair question the validity of historical "facts."

Essays from the New Zealand Journal of History

The Shaping of History

For Europeans during the nineteenth century, the Urewera was a remote wilderness; for those who lived there, it was a sheltering heartland. This history documents the first hundred years of the ‘Rohe Pōtae’ (the ‘encircled lands’ of the Urewera) following European contact. After large areas of land were lost, the Urewera became for a brief period an autonomous district, governed by its own leaders. But in 1921–22, the Urewera District Native Reserve was abolished in law. Its very existence became largely forgotten – except in local memory. Recovering this history from a wealth of contemporary documents, many written by Urewera leaders, Encircled Lands contextualises Tūhoe’s quest for a constitutional agreement that restores their authority in their lands.

Te Urewera, 1820–1921

Stories Without End is a testament to nearly 40 years of groundbreaking historical research by one of New Zealand’s leading scholars. Sitting alongside her major works – including the 2010 Book of the Year, Encircled Lands – these essays explore sidepaths and previously unexamined histories. They notably delve into the lives of powerful early Māori figures, including the prophets Rua Kenana and Te Kooti, their wives and their descendants, and the leaders of the Urewera. Binney brings figures out of the shadows, explores place and revives memory, ensuring that the histories that matter do indeed become stories without end.

Essays 1975–2010

Stories Without End

A Life of the Nineteenth-Century Maori Leader Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki

Redemption Songs

Erik Olssen

Judith Bassett

This book is a visual and narrative history of two communities, Māori and Pākehā, during a hundred years of settlement in New Zealand. It reveals how the two cultures saw their history through very different eyes: for Pākehā, it was a story of establishing an ‘English island’ in the Pacific; for Māori, a tale of loss and exclusion. But by setting out these conflicting understandings of the past, the book also seeks to bridge cultural differences through the sharing of knowledge. Written by three leading historians and lavishly illustrated, it is a stunning presentation of New Zealand’s history.

An Illustrated History of New Zealand, 1820–1920

The People and The Land / Te Tangata me Te Whenua

Essays 1975-2010

The writing of history will only flourish if there is a vehicle for its publication: such was Sir Keith Sinclair’s vision when he founded The New Zealand Journal of History in 1967. Since then the journal has been the conduit for a flow of remarkable history writing. The Shaping of History brings together a selection of essays from its first 30 years by some of the nation’s best-known historians, including Judith Binney, Tipene O’Regan, Claudia Orange, Barbara Brookes, Alan Ward, Jock Phillips and Jamie Belich. Their sharp analysis and great storytelling make the collection an essential resource for understanding how New Zealand history is shaped.

Judith Binney

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