Backbencher

The first fact that I wanted to point out was how much more enjoyable reading this book was than reading Clark's. Sinclair did a much better job in describing in detail the inhabitants of the islands before the initial contact with the British. One thing that I found very interesting was the culture of the Maori. I had heard that they were cannibals but I did not know to what extent. Sinclair describes New Zealand as one of the most "feared places on Earth" towards the end of the 18th century. I didn't really understand how the Maori people could strike so much fear into Europeans, but were still much more conforming to the ways of the British than were the natives of Australia. Guns played a large role in the trade between the British and Maori. Just like many other native peoples, the Maori were no different in how they were literally obsessed with certain goods like alcohol and guns that eventually led to their demise. The Maori eventually began accepting certain values of European society but only ones that they felt bettered themselves. This eventually leads to the present New Zealander attitude that they are a better Britain without the corruption.

The Maori continued to coexist with the Europeans until the Maori Wars during the middle of the 19th century. The Maori grew tired of the Europeans trying to control every aspect of their life and eventually rebelled and lost. The Europeans had now won the right to govern the Maori but there would continue to be conflicts between the two.

The book then goes on to talk about the evolution of New Zealand from an expansion of Britain to the idea of national identity and what it means to be a New Zealander. Like I said before today, New Zealand claims to be a better Britain. Sinclair however does leave the question of what it means to be a New Zealander open for readers to ponder and figure out for themselves. He does a great job in this book in describing New Zealand from the very first whalers who inhabited the country to the ever-changing place it is today. Through both World Wars and the Cold War, New Zealanders has continually considered themselves a proud people who value their culture and how it has evolved. Sinclair writes a fantastic book and seems very impartial in his writing. He tells the story how it happened and doesn't leave anything out. Overall, I found it to be very interesting and a much better read than Clark.