New Zealand's France

New Zealand's France
Author: Alistair Watts
Publisher: Aykay Publishing
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2021-04-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 0473560364

In New Zealand’s France, Dr Alistair Watts investigates the origins of the New Zealand nation state from a fresh perspective — one that moves beyond the traditional bicultural view prevalent in the current New Zealand historiography. That New Zealand became British in the 1840s owes much, Dr Watts contends, to that other great colonial power of the time, France. The rich history of British antagonism towards the French was transported to New Zealand in the 1830s and 1840s as part of the British colonists’ cultural baggage, to be used in creating an old identity in a new land. Even as the British colonists sought a new beginning, this defining anti-French characteristic caused them to override the existing Māori culture with their own constructs of time and place. Leaving their signature names in the cities of Wellington and Nelson and naming their streets after Waterloo and Collingwood, the British colonisers attempted to establish a local antithesis of France through a bucolic Little Britain in the South Pacific. It was this legacy, as much as the assumed bicultural origins of modern New Zealand, that produced a Pacific country that still relies on the symbolism of the Union Jack embedded in the national flag and the totemic constitutional presence of the British Crown to maintain its national identity. This is the story of how this came about.

Le Quesnoy

Le Quesnoy
Author: Glyn Harper
Publisher: Puffin Books
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2012
Genre: Children's stories, New Zealand
ISBN: 9780143504566

Le Quesnoy (pronounced Leck con wah) is a town in northern France. It is surrounded by high walls and deep trenches. In World War I it was occupied by the German army for four long years. In November 1918 the town was liberated by soldiers from far-away New Zealand. Because these men used a bit of kiwi ingenuity they were able to take the town back without a single civilian life being lost. This has become one of the most famous stories in New Zealand military history and the relationship between Le Quesnoy and New Zealand continues to this day. This book tells the story of Le Quesnoy's liberation through the eyes of a child living in the town at the time. Stunning watercolour illustrations and simple language make this an ANZAC picture book that young readers will be able to imaginatively engage with. Format: 285x240mm (portrait).

French Akaroa

French Akaroa
Author: Peter Tremewan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2010
Genre: History
ISBN:

This book looks at the elaborate French government-backed plans to settle and annex 'Southern New Zealand' - and at what the French did when they found the British had got there first. The lives of the French (and German) men, women and children who ended up creating little settlements in Akaroa Harbour is a major focus of this fascinating book, which also explains some of the French heritage that attracts so many tourists to the Banks Peninsula town of Akaroa today.

New Zealand in a Globalising World

New Zealand in a Globalising World
Author: Ralph Pettman
Publisher: Victoria University Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2005
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780864734952

In 2003 Victoria University hosted the Fourth Wellington Conference on World Affairs. This book is a collection of papers from that gathering. The theme was ‘ New Zealand in World Affairs’ and focused on three major threads: New Zealand’s role in the Pacific, Trans-Tasman relations and New Zealand in a globalising world. Chapters include a discussion and deconstruction of globalization; the role of diplomacy in a global world; security in Oceania in the post 9/11 era; a survey of diplomacy, politics with regard to nuclear testing by the French and an investigation of the differing world views held by Australia and New Zealand.

Journeys to New Zealand Aotearoa

Journeys to New Zealand Aotearoa
Author: Kalman Dubov
Publisher: Kalman Dubov
Total Pages:
Release: 2021-12-05
Genre: History
ISBN:

I visited New Zealand twice, in December 2017, and in March 2020. Both instances were while I was on the cruise ship, the magnificent Amsterdam, Holland America Lines flagship. This book reflects on my time in New Zealand during the first visit. The second visit was a time of increasing awareness of the dangers of Covid-19, soon causing many countries to close their ports to visitors. My review and analysis of New Zealand begin with its geography, reviewing the micro-continent, now reflecting but the remnant of a larger and now non-existent landmass. I focus on New Zealand's three main islands, its geography, flora, and fauna. I then discuss the arrival of the Maori, a controversial topic, with most scholars agreeing to the 1280 CE year when they arrived on these islands. An alternate view claims the Maori arrived here many centuries earlier, though no evidence validates this claim. Regardless of when they arrived, the Maori retain their own culture, cuisine, dress and way of living. Modern New Zealand’s history begins with the arrival of the famed English explorer James Cook in 1769, followed by English settlers. The arrival of Europeans changed the country and the way the Maori related to each other as well as to the new European arrivals. The Musket Wars saw the first change. These were wars fought between the Maori, with added lethality of using European weaponry. That consequence of the wars prompted the signing of the Waitangi Treaty, which many Maori chieftains agreed to in exchange for receiving Crown protection and citizenship. This Treaty, however, was in two versions: an English and another in Maori, resulting in the debate of what the Maori actually agreed to, and if they surrendered sovereignty by signing the document. The Treaty and its provisions are today the subject of controversy, with the government agreeing to compensations for Maori losses. Some of those losses resulted from confiscations during the New Zealand Wars when rebellious Maori were suppressed and the land was taken from them. I also review the different wars fought by New Zealand, first as a British colony, and later as an independent Commonwealth. New Zealanders are proud of their connection to the ‘Mother Country.’ When Britain was involved in the conflict, New Zealand immediately stood at her side, committing soldiers in her defense. also review the French attack on the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship, an act sanctioned by the highest echelon of the French government. New Zealand was shocked by the reticence of Western world powers against this attack. The fact New Zealand stood alone in the face of this attack on its territory made it realize it had to adopt its own political agenda. Perhaps because New Zealand stood alone in the aftermath of this French attack on its soil bolstered its leadership to declare a national anti-nuclear policy. That policy resulted in harsh rhetoric and distance from the United States, though the ANZUS Treaty was not abrogated as a result. New Zealand today remains a member of the Five Eyes, consisting of a consortium of English-speaking countries that gathers and shares intelligence. New Zealand has a small but active Jewish community, primarily in Auckland and Wellington. I visited the Auckland Jewish community and was able to assess the country's relationship with the State of Israel. The section on My Visit reflects visiting Waitangi House in the Bay of Islands, Tauranga, Rotorua as well as Auckland. New Zealand is a beautiful country and I was enriched by visiting and becoming aware of its history, traditions, and people. I hope that the pandemic will be history to once again sail the waters and visit this distant land.

New Zealand's empire

New Zealand's empire
Author: Katie Pickles
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2015-11-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1784996238

Both colonial and postcolonial historical approaches often sideline New Zealand as a peripheral player. This book redresses the balance, and evaluates its role as an imperial power – as both a powerful imperial envoy and a significant presence in the Pacific region.

New Zealand and the Vietnam War

New Zealand and the Vietnam War
Author: Roberto Rabel
Publisher: Auckland University Press
Total Pages: 554
Release: 2013-11-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1775581284

Starting with the first Indochina War in the 1950s, this historical analysis covers the story of New Zealand's relations with Vietnam up to the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Exploring the diplomatic history of the engagement, which is not well known or understood, and showing that New Zealand officials and politicians in fact entered the war with extreme reluctance, this describes how the dispatch of troops to Vietnam divided the country, enraged a generation, and forced the government to publicly defend its policy. Readers quickly discover that the fallout from the Vietnam conflict still affects New Zealand's position today—from its well-known antinuclear stance to its position over the recent Iraq conflict.