Hobson: Governor of New Zealand, 1840-1842

by Paul Moon

318 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1998

About the author

Dr Paul Moon is Professor of History at Auckland University of Technology. Among his twenty-five published books are A Savage Country: The untold story of New Zealand in the 1820s; This Horrid Practice: The myth and reality of traditional Maori cannibalism; A History of New Zealand in the Twentieth Century; biographies of Governors Hobson, FitzRoy and the Ngāpuhi chief Hone Heke; and Encounters: The creation of New Zealand, which was shortlisted for the 2014 Australasian Ernest Scott Prize in History.

Reviews

[Angela Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is essential reading for an understanding of the circumstances under which the Treaty of Waitangi became New Zealand’s founding document. It is focussed on the story of Hobson, New Zealand’s first Governor. The book draws on written sources, mainly formal government papers but also letters and diaries which provide fascinating insight into the incredibly difficult task of managing the multiple, generally conflicting interests of the settlers, missionaries, New Zealand Company, Maori chiefs and of course, the British Crown. Paul Moon brings to this book a respected historian’s ability to organise his subject into a readable account of a short and rather sad story. Ultimately this was for me, a satisfying read.