A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects

Description

New Zealand history through a new lens - 100 objects offer 100 entry points into the powerful, captivating stories of our shared past. Authored by award-winning historian Jock Phillips, The History of New Zealand in 100 Objects is gripping, inclusive, often revelatory and deeply human. A colourful and characterful retelling of our shared past, relevant to today, particular to all of us. The sewing kete of an unknown 18th-century Maori woman; the Endeavour cannons that fired on waka in 1769; the bagpipes of an Irish publican Paddy Galvin; the school uniform of Harold Pond, a Napier Tech pupil in the Hawke's Bay quake; the Biko shields that tried to protect protestors during the Springbok tour in 1981; Winston Reynolds' remarkable home-made Hokitika television set, the oldest working TV in the country; the soccer ball that was a tribute to Tariq Omar, a victim of the Christchurch Mosque shootings, and so many more - these are items of quiet significance and great personal meaning, taonga carrying stories that together represent a dramatic, full-of-life history for everyday New Zealanders.

Jock Phillips ONZM is a freelance historian based in Wellington, New Zealand. Studying first at Victoria University of Wellington then Harvard, Phillips went on to teach American and New Zealand history at Victoria for 16 years, a time during which he also established the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies. He later became the Ministry for Culture and Heritage's Chief Historian, a position he held for 14 years. While there, he oversaw the development of the New Zealand Historical Atlas, initiated an oral history programme, and set up a Fellowship in Maori History. He also helped establish Te Ara- The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, acting as its General Editor from 2002 to 2011. Phillips has taken on many governance roles throughout his career, including with the National Library Society, Fulbright New Zealand, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington Council, Guardians/Kaitiaki of the Alexander Turnbull Library, as Conceptual Leader for history exhibitions at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and is a trustee of Nga Taonga Sound & Vision. He has published 15 books on New Zealand history, the best known of which is A Man's Country?- The Image of the Pakeha Male - A History. His most recent are To the Memory, a comprehensive illustrated history of New Zealand war memorials, and a memoir, Making History- A New Zealand Story. Among Phillips' many accolades are the Royal Society of New Zealand's 2011 Pou Aronui Award for service to the humanities, and the 2014 Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement.