Te Kōhia (17 March 1860) and the First Taranaki War
Today marks the anniversary of the battle of Te Kōhia that took place at Waitara on 17 March 1860, marking the start of the first, year-long Taranaki War and...
Auckland Writers Festival 2026
Auckland Writers Festival this week released its programme for its 2026 festival this May, featuring a stellar lineup of international and local authors. I...
Robin Hyde and Ōrākei (Part II)
In December I brought you Robin Hyde’s July 1937 piece ‘Who Says the Orakei Maoris Must Go?’. For this second and final instalment I have copied and...
Remembering Rangiaowhia
On 21 February 1864 Crown forces attacked the settlement of Rangiaowhia. On the anniversary of that attack, this piece explains what happened that day and...
Waitangi Day
I was honoured to be invited to be the keynote speaker at Waitangi Day commemorations in Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke's Bay last year hosted by the Waipureku...
Second Public Talk: Auckland and the Invasion of Waikato
I recently posted about a public talk I was giving at Devonport Library during my residency at the Michael King Writers Centre. That talk filled up very...
Nelson Tenths
In December 2025 the Crown and Te Tau Ihu iwi leaders announced a settlement of a long-running legal case involving the Crown’s failure to allocate ‘Nelson...
Public Talk: Auckland and the Invasion of Waikato
Next month I am spending two weeks in Devonport as one of the recipients of a Michael King Writers Centre residency award for 2026. I’m pleased to say that...
Knowing our History
Last year I was privileged to be named one of five Distinguished Alumni Award recipients from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington (alongside...
Robin Hyde and Ōrākei
Recent controversy over the destruction of Penman House in Auckland reminded me of a series of brilliant articles that Robin Hyde wrote from that very place...
Handley's Woolshed
Back in September 2020 Professor Joanna Kidman and I set out on a journey, in between Covid lockdowns and scares, to visit a number of sites associated with...
The Invasion of Parihaka
On the anniversary of the invasion of Parihaka on 5 November 1881 I am reproducing an extract from Voices from the New Zealand Wars/He Reo Nō Ngā Pakanga o...
He Whakaputanga — The Declaration of Independence of New Zealand
On the 190th anniversary of the signing of He Whakaputanga - the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand, I am sharing an extract from a 2017 publication...
'You cannot know who you are as a society unless you know your history' – Jim Bolger
Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger’s death last week sparked a wave of tributes from across the political spectrum, including warm words of remembrance from...
Kirikiriroa Hamilton Events
I am pleased to say I will be giving a free public talk in Kirikiriroa Hamilton next week to mark Te Pūtake o te Riri – He Rā Maumahara, the national day of...
The Waitangi Tribunal Turns 50
Next week the Waitangi Tribunal turns 50 – or rather, it is the 50th anniversary of the passage into law of the Treaty of Waitangi Act on 10 October 1975...
Book Launch: The Meeting Place
As I mentioned in a recent post, a new edition of my book The Meeting Place: Māori and Pākehā Encounters, 1642-1840 will shortly be published by Bridget...
In Memoriam: Dame Joan Metge and Emeritus Professor Keith Sorrenson
In this post I pay tribute to two scholars who made significant contributions to our understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand culture, society and history. Dame...
Kīngitanga Q+A
With the Koroneihana this week marking the first anniversary of the ascension to the Kīngitanga throne of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, and large...
Kīngitanga and Crown: The Māori King Movement’s Historical Relationship with the British Royal Family
Back in 2014, when I was the J.D. Stout Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington, writing what would eventually become The Great War for New Zealand:...