The Penguin History of New Zealand

The definitive and bestselling history of Aotearoa New Zealand by one of our leading historians, continuously in print for 20 years.

This bestselling book by the late Michael King is the unchallenged contemporary reference on the history of New Zealand.

First published in 2003 and hailed as a triumph of careful research, wide reading and judicious assessment, it has been continuously in print for 20 years and has sold over 300,000 copies.

It remains the definitive, yet highly readable, starting-point for anybody wanting to understand this country.

New Zealand was the last country in the world to be discovered and settled by humankind. It was also the first to introduce full democracy. Between those events, and in the century that followed, the movements and conflicts of human history have been played out more intensively and more rapidly in New Zealand than anywhere else on Earth.

The Penguin History of New Zealand 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 colonising New Zealand were essentially humane; and that Maori, far from being passive victims of a ‘fatal impact’, coped heroically with colonisation and survived by selectively accepting and adapting what Western technology and culture had to offer.

Now more relevant than ever, this edition includes a Foreword by Sir Tipene O’Regan and a biographical essay about the author by Jock Phillips.

PLATINUM PREMIER NEW ZEALAND BESTSELLER READERS’ CHOICE AWARD
2004 MONTANA NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS
NIELSEN BOOKDATA NEW ZEALAND BOOKSELLERS’ CHOICE AWARD – BEST OF THE BEST, 2011

Author Biography

The late Michael King was one of New Zealand’s leading historians. Over three decades he wrote or edited more than 30 books, most of them New Zealand history or biography. He won a wide range of awards for this work, including the New Zealand Book Award for Non-fiction, the Wattie Book of the Year (twice), the Montana Medal for Non-fiction and, in 2003, an inaugural Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement.

He was a contributor to the prestigious Oxford History of New Zealand and wrote for all five volumes of The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.

Dr King taught or held fellowships at seven universities in New Zealand and other countries, including Georgetown University in Washington DC, where he was Visiting Professor of New Zealand Studies. He was tragically killed in a car accident in 2004.