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The Fox Boy: The Story of an Abducted Child
A gripping narrative that sweeps the reader along as it seeks to uncover a mystery from the pages of New Zealand's troubled racial past.
While doing some preliminary research for a travel book, Peter Walker came across a photograph taken in the mid-nineteenth century that haunted him. A Maori boy, at age five or six, is dressed up as a proper English gentleman, one hand hidden in the pocket of his trousers, the other placed squarely on what looks like a bible. How did such a young member of the native population of New Zealand wind up in such a place, why did he look so unhappy, and what happened next?
With picture in hand and numerous questions in mind, Peter set off on his quest to solve the riddle of Ngatau Omahuru (or little 'William Fox'). It was soon revealed that this little boy, about whom perhaps ten lines had ever been published in history books, was kidnapped during a battle and later adopted by the Prime Minister himself to be trained as lawyer. As Walker uncovers more and more information-following the boy's footsteps out of the forest and into the high society drawing rooms of Wellington and London-it becomes clear that little William Fox played a crucial role in New Zealand's violent interracial history.
As Walker travels in pursuit of the facts he finds himself on a personal journey as well, revisiting the scenes of his own childhood and quite unexpectedly coming across information that connects him personally to the historical material he finds, making The Fox Boy both travel writing and narrative history at their finest.
While doing some preliminary research for a travel book, Peter Walker came across a photograph taken in the mid-nineteenth century that haunted him. A Maori boy, at age five or six, is dressed up as a proper English gentleman, one hand hidden in the pocket of his trousers, the other placed squarely on what looks like a bible. How did such a young member of the native population of New Zealand wind up in such a place, why did he look so unhappy, and what happened next?
With picture in hand and numerous questions in mind, Peter set off on his quest to solve the riddle of Ngatau Omahuru (or little 'William Fox'). It was soon revealed that this little boy, about whom perhaps ten lines had ever been published in history books, was kidnapped during a battle and later adopted by the Prime Minister himself to be trained as lawyer. As Walker uncovers more and more information-following the boy's footsteps out of the forest and into the high society drawing rooms of Wellington and London-it becomes clear that little William Fox played a crucial role in New Zealand's violent interracial history.
As Walker travels in pursuit of the facts he finds himself on a personal journey as well, revisiting the scenes of his own childhood and quite unexpectedly coming across information that connects him personally to the historical material he finds, making The Fox Boy both travel writing and narrative history at their finest.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
8 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Peter Walker
4 books2 followersNew Zealand author Peter Walker began his writing career as a journalist
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 21, 2016
As someone who studies NZ history and a lawyer, this should have been an excellent read for me. Unfortunately I struggled through the lyrical writing (which I found painful) and ramblings off-topic, and ended up skim reading it. I might pick it up again but I wasn't compelled enough to read it...
Maybe I like history textbooks too much!!
Maybe I like history textbooks too much!!
July 8, 2013
Although shocked by some of New Zealand early leaders. We cannot impose my 21st century moralities into this county's troubled formative years. I am tempted to explore more litature about the 1860 Maori wars, but it will not be by Peter Walker.
I found his style of jumping around the country, years and people disconcerting.
Although very familiar with NZ geography, this story would have been impossible for an outsider to follow. A better map may have solved the problem.
I found his style of jumping around the country, years and people disconcerting.
Although very familiar with NZ geography, this story would have been impossible for an outsider to follow. A better map may have solved the problem.
March 14, 2019
Thoroughly intriguing story drew me to this book, yet the style of writing was quite irritating. The central character and topic, of William Fox Jr (European name) was written about in a tone that was remote, dispassionate and unsympathetic...as if his plight was for our entertainment and not empathy or sympathy. The more I read, the more disconnected I felt from the central characters, and in the end resorted to reading the Wikipedia entries on them all to try to learn clearly what this author was doing a damn fine job of obscuring. A frustrating and disappointing read, yet the reality of what the book was based on is enthralling.
June 29, 2019
This is sadly a badly written book. I wanted to know about the little boy but there is all this drivel you have to wade through that has nothing to do with the boy. A total waste of my time.
June 29, 2024
This month's choice for #AYearofNZLit is an historical memoir from expat New Zealand author Peter Walker. I came across it over a decade ago when I read on Beattie's (now inactive) Book Blog that Walker had been appointed Writer in Residence at Wellington’s Randell Cottage for 2011.
'Book of the moment'? That intrigued me and I bought it. Almost a quarter of century after its first publication The Fox Boy is now one of many excursions into the global colonial past, but I suspect that it is still as confronting for New Zealanders as it was when it was written. Kiwis, as we discovered on our trip to NZ in 2019, have a forthright tendency to take the moral high ground with Australians, not least because they had a treaty with the Māori as early as 1840, and that Treaty of Waitangi conferred on the Māori the Rights of British Subjects.
Which included the right to be recognised in the courts of law which were busy dealing with rapacious land acquisitions by the Pākehā. Which did not prevent the 1845-72 New Zealand Wars — which began with localised disputed land purchases, but escalated from 1860 onward because the government feared united Māori resistance to further land sales and a refusal to acknowledge Crown sovereignty. They implemented a punitive land confiscation policy against any 'rebels' trying to defend their land which only exacerbated the conflict.
Walker's book explores the fallout of those wars, triggered by his discovery of a postcard. That little boy on the front cover of the book is Ngātau Omahuru, who witnessed the murder of two other children during the 1868 battle of The Beak of the Bird but was rescued by a man called Pirimona, who passed him onto a man called Herewini, who carried him on his back during the fighting. But after the battle he became a trophy, adopted by the politician Sir William Fox, renamed and remade in his own image. Sir William was #understatement not a nice man, and his motives were suspect, but his wife Sarah loved the little waif, and he came to love her when he was taken to live with her after three years in a Māori hostelry in Wellington.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2024/06/29/t...
Peter Walker works as a journalist in London, and is the author of the historical memoir The Fox Boy (Bloomsbury 2001) set in Taranaki and dubbed ‘book of the moment’ by The Daily Telegraph, and an historical novel The Couriers Tale (Bloomsbury 2010).
'Book of the moment'? That intrigued me and I bought it. Almost a quarter of century after its first publication The Fox Boy is now one of many excursions into the global colonial past, but I suspect that it is still as confronting for New Zealanders as it was when it was written. Kiwis, as we discovered on our trip to NZ in 2019, have a forthright tendency to take the moral high ground with Australians, not least because they had a treaty with the Māori as early as 1840, and that Treaty of Waitangi conferred on the Māori the Rights of British Subjects.
Which included the right to be recognised in the courts of law which were busy dealing with rapacious land acquisitions by the Pākehā. Which did not prevent the 1845-72 New Zealand Wars — which began with localised disputed land purchases, but escalated from 1860 onward because the government feared united Māori resistance to further land sales and a refusal to acknowledge Crown sovereignty. They implemented a punitive land confiscation policy against any 'rebels' trying to defend their land which only exacerbated the conflict.
Walker's book explores the fallout of those wars, triggered by his discovery of a postcard. That little boy on the front cover of the book is Ngātau Omahuru, who witnessed the murder of two other children during the 1868 battle of The Beak of the Bird but was rescued by a man called Pirimona, who passed him onto a man called Herewini, who carried him on his back during the fighting. But after the battle he became a trophy, adopted by the politician Sir William Fox, renamed and remade in his own image. Sir William was #understatement not a nice man, and his motives were suspect, but his wife Sarah loved the little waif, and he came to love her when he was taken to live with her after three years in a Māori hostelry in Wellington.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2024/06/29/t...
January 6, 2026
An interesting story set in an appalling, shameful
period of New Zealand history, more light is shed on the NZ Land Wars by a writer who centres his book on the small Maori boy who was adopted by a prime Minister Sir William Fox. For anyone who wants to better understand how the promises of the Treaty of Waitangi were abandoned or forgotten as the need for land by the waves of British settlers took precedence, this book is an excellent view of those times. Somewhat dated by the references to whites, the book is nevertheless still a great read and an important contribution to understanding of the period particularly of Parihaka.
period of New Zealand history, more light is shed on the NZ Land Wars by a writer who centres his book on the small Maori boy who was adopted by a prime Minister Sir William Fox. For anyone who wants to better understand how the promises of the Treaty of Waitangi were abandoned or forgotten as the need for land by the waves of British settlers took precedence, this book is an excellent view of those times. Somewhat dated by the references to whites, the book is nevertheless still a great read and an important contribution to understanding of the period particularly of Parihaka.
June 9, 2021
Some won't like the creative /poetic license the author took. Others won't like the authors tendency to get sidetracked by sideline historical figures.
I consider the author did a good job. He was honest when there were gaps in the historiography and he used what he had to truly bring the story to life.
A truly fascinating topic which is still relevant today as we try to rectify the damage caused by colonisation.
I consider the author did a good job. He was honest when there were gaps in the historiography and he used what he had to truly bring the story to life.
A truly fascinating topic which is still relevant today as we try to rectify the damage caused by colonisation.
January 12, 2025
This was a lot less about William Fox and a lot more about Parihaka than I was expecting, but given how little I knew about Parihaka going into it, I still got a lot out of the book. I suppose it makes sense to dive into the historical context when there's not all that much information about Fox's life. I wish I'd been taught more of this in school.
June 2, 2017
The story looked good from the blurb. But so slow and detail driven, made it too boring.
Couldn't finish it. On a par with Sophie's World. Oh dear!!
Couldn't finish it. On a par with Sophie's World. Oh dear!!
August 29, 2017
Such a great nz historical book
So recommend
So recommend
June 2, 2020
This is one of the best books I've read. It details historical events with a story you can follow. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have re-read several times
June 13, 2022
Almost gave up after chapter one, but pleased I persevered. Learnt a lot
April 8, 2013
This is a fascinating study of a piece of New Zealand history that is only just now in 2013 being reconciled. While I knew a lot about the history of Parihaka, I did not know much about the preceding years of conflict and war in the Taranaki and Whanganui area. The boy was abducted during the Battle of the Bird. He was about 7 or 8. Within 2 days he had his photo taken in Whanganui in Pakeha dress. Although he already had parents living, he was 'adopted' by Sir William Fox and taken to Wellington to live and be brought up. He went to Wellington college and was then apprenticed to a law firm, one of the partners being Butler, the man who made a comprehensive study of New Zealand birds ( one of which he made extinct by killing the last one of the Huia bird).
This is a beautifully detailed text that does however make suppositions in places where William Fox Jnr disappeared off the scene of history and Walker tries to fill in the gaps.
My major quibbles are these:
1. no pictures have captions
2. information or quotes are not noted in the text
3. the bibliography is just a list that the reader can't relate to the text
4. Too much of Peter Walker's own history intrudes on the story
5. Too many suppositions are made about incidents that Walker cannot possibly know about
Therefore the text is better read as a "novelisation" of a story rather than a pure history text as information cannot be verified. Read this way it is a fascinating read and shows the lengths Fox, and his bully sidekick, Bruce, went to to eradicate the Maori in the area to free up land for the Pakeha settlers. A shameful piece of New Zealand history.
This is a beautifully detailed text that does however make suppositions in places where William Fox Jnr disappeared off the scene of history and Walker tries to fill in the gaps.
My major quibbles are these:
1. no pictures have captions
2. information or quotes are not noted in the text
3. the bibliography is just a list that the reader can't relate to the text
4. Too much of Peter Walker's own history intrudes on the story
5. Too many suppositions are made about incidents that Walker cannot possibly know about
Therefore the text is better read as a "novelisation" of a story rather than a pure history text as information cannot be verified. Read this way it is a fascinating read and shows the lengths Fox, and his bully sidekick, Bruce, went to to eradicate the Maori in the area to free up land for the Pakeha settlers. A shameful piece of New Zealand history.
February 4, 2015
Before I travel to a country I try to do some reading about it - fiction and non fiction. This is an incredible book. I feel I learned a wide range of things about NZ.
The author did an immense amount of research and produced a highly readable, enthralling story that is history, but comes across as a drama.
The subject of the book starts out to be the boy, and ends up to be the tragedy of what happened to the Maoris. I could hardly stand to read parts of the description of the treatment of the Maori by the colonials.
The author did an immense amount of research and produced a highly readable, enthralling story that is history, but comes across as a drama.
The subject of the book starts out to be the boy, and ends up to be the tragedy of what happened to the Maoris. I could hardly stand to read parts of the description of the treatment of the Maori by the colonials.
January 16, 2012
This book was well-researched and exposed the manipulative behaviour of colonial settlers and politicians only interested in furthering their own cause, i.e. feathering their own nests. What stood out was the portrayal of the protagonist for peace, Te Whiti - a pre-Gandhi exponent of non-violent resistance. The author's telling of the story is compassionate. The book is not a fast read but there is a lot in it, well worth perservering with.
May 28, 2007
This book was such a delightful education to me of my own region - it provided an alternate history than the one handed to me by my elders and teachers in school. I have since done quite a lot of research and Peter Walker's account seems to be fairly accurate (as accurate as you can get in this case). It was a wonderful starting point for my cultural awakening!
October 16, 2022
This book moved me deeply. Having started out intrigued by Ngatau and his story Peter widens the scope considerably to encompass some torrid years of land acquisition in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. At times it was hard for me to read, yet I think Peter managed to include enough traces of humanity that I didn't wallow in the meanness of the times.
February 20, 2011
Through focusing on one person's life it paints a haunting picture of a New Zealand that seems like another world. I particularly enjoyed the passages describing a vanished Wellington that was the centre of politicking between Maori and Pakeha.
December 19, 2014
This was a fantastic historical book. It took me back to a time in New Zealand history that needs to be talked about more. My education is badly tainted by our colonial past, this book came as an educational breath of fresh air.
Want to read
August 25, 2010hhhhh
November 1, 2013
It read like a history textbook.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews