Customer Reviews

Making Peoples: A History of the New Zealanders: From Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century

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Belich is the leading historian in NZ. he has previously made his name by reappraising the way we view the Maori Land wars.

Here he has undertaken to write the only general history of New Zealand. This is supposed to be Volume one, though there is no set date for vloume two to appear.

He mixes passion for his subject with a great turn of phrase - for example the way he describes New Zealand as being the product of two sets of boat peoples (Maori and Pakhier) is poingent given the way in Maori mythology Aoteroa is said to be a canoe and a fish and also given how Kiwis refer to new arrivals as "boaties".

Although somtimes this weighty book gets bogged down with lists of facts and accademic arguments, none the less, its both a great read and the seminal work of Kiwi history.

James Belich, one of the world's leading historians in New Zealand Maori history, (the other is Michael King), writes this must have for any New Zealand history enthusiast or student. I can imagine it being a bit dry if history is not your thing. If it is, however, this is a great book. Clear, concise, and masterfully wielded, the information in this book is crucial to the subject of early NZ history. Though scholarly in nature and heavily cited, it is entirely readable and is worth the price for it's bibliography alone.

A great combination of thoroughness and readability. Bellich offers insight into the makeup of a New Zealander and supports his positions with plenty of detail.