KERERŪ BOOKS NEW ZEALAND
Publishers of Authentic New Zealand Histories
ISBN : 9780473689155
Publisher : Kererū Books NZ
Distributor: Real NZ Books
Publisher : Kererū Books NZ
Distributor: Real NZ Books
ISBN : 9780473700874
Publisher : Kererū Books NZ
Distributor: Publishers Distribution Limited
Publisher : Kererū Books NZ
Distributor: Publishers Distribution Limited
ISBN : 978-0-473-70190-1
Publisher : Kererū Books NZ
Distributor: Publishers Distribution Limited
Pākehā-Māori Narratives – A New Zealand Genre
Pākehā-Māori Narratives is a collection of 20 first-hand accounts written or dictated by European men who voluntarily crossed cultures to live and trade among the Māori tribes of New Zealand during the 1800s. Valued conduits to prized flintlock muskets, munitions and general trade goods, they were soon firmly integrated into the communities of their hosts, becoming in the process, a distinctive hybrid class, recognised and described by both cultures as Pākehā Māori.
The narratives cast light on the cultural adaptations made by these entrepreneurial adventurers, their place in tribal hierarchies and their relationships with rangatira, tohunga and tribe. More importantly, they provide valuable eyewitness accounts of Te Ao Māori (the world of Māori), particularly their social order, beliefs, values and customary practices in times of peace and war.
With notes that provide biographical, historical and cultural context, this anthology reveals how important Pākehā Māori were in shaping early race relations. Many thousands of New Zealanders, both Māori and Pākehā living today are the descendants of these bicultural mediators of meaning.
Why read this book?
- The first published collection of Pākehā-Māori narratives.
- Provides accounts of life in 19th century Māori communities.
- Casts further light on New Zealand’s turbulent era of
contact and interaction.
Pakeha Slaves, Maori Masters
While people are aware of the atrocities of the black slave trade, few are aware of the enslavement and trafficking of Europeans in 19th-century New Zealand. Hierarchical and assertive Maori tribal societies considered all Pakeha (non-Maori, mainly Europeans) living within their power and under their protection as chattel slaves (personal property) or demi-slaves (tributary vassals). For Maori, the sailors, convicts, missionaries, traders, whalers and sawyers who were captured or welcomed were viewed as the property of their rangatira (chiefs) and existed primarily to serve their masters.
While this book discusses tributary vassals, its main focus is the Europeans seized in violence who lived and sometimes died as taurekareka Pakeha (white war slaves) between the 1790s and 1880s. It examines when, where, why and how Maori obtained these slaves and the types of Europeans seized. The book reveals how British authority had little effect beyond the European settlements until the 1860s and how its citizens remained vulnerable to enslavement in Maori-dominated regions to the 1880s.
Early Maritime Tauranga
Tauranga’s seas and harbour waters are central in any historical account of its past. This book charts the early evolution of Tauranga’s identity as a desirable living place, a port and centre of trade and shipping, and the region as a source of profitable and sustainable, export commodities. It casts light on the fluid, shifting oceanic world of Tauranga Moana, initially inhabited by Polynesian migrants, and for hundreds of years by resident Māori iwi and hapū who plied its waters on a variety of waka. It identifies and describes visiting European explorers, whaling-musket trading ships, pirates of both races, sea-trader adventurers, fugitive convicts and sailors, shipwreck survivors, and bold sea captains from, and beyond the region.
The book explores the impact of Ngāti Maru, Te Arawa and Ngāpuhi war fleets on resident iwi and the remarkable artillery sieges of local pa during the intertribal Musket Wars. It describes the sailing skills, arrival, and roles of the first missionaries, flax traders, colonial officials and boat builders. The remarkable enterprise of local hapū during Tauranga’s shipbuilding and Auckland’s provisions booms is unveiled. It details the courage and seamanship of the captains and crews of Tauranga’s early trading fleets as they sailed the shipping routes from Tauranga to the Bay of Islands and Auckland.
Kererū Books New Zealand
Kererū Books New Zealand is an independent publishing company established by historian Trevor Bentley at Tauranga in 2023 to publish his own titles and those of other non-fiction writers that fit with its publishing focus.
Trevor has a long standing interest in New Zealand social, military and maritime history. His primary interest is the Pākehā and Māori who crossed cultures voluntarily or as captives. Te Kaewa – The Wanderers is Dr Bentley’s tenth book to explore this era.
Submissions
Kererū Books New Zealand welcomes submissions that fit with its publishing programme.
Manuscripts via Email should be sent in PDF format, along with a brief author’s CV and summary of its aims and content.
If submitting by post, please include a self addressed, stamped envelope if you would like your manuscript to be returned.
Receipt of your manuscript will be acknowledged and we will respond to your submission within two weeks of receiving it.
Postal Address
Kererū Books New Zealand Limited
91 Longview Drive,
Papamoa Beach
Tauranga 3118
Email: kererubooksnz@gmail.com
Postal Address
Kererū Books New Zealand Limited
91 Longview Drive,
Papamoa Beach
Tauranga 3118