gems, jade, New Zealand, nephrite, pounamu

Winner of New Zealand Book Award Non-Fiction Category 1994. When the southernmost corner of Polynesia became the most distant outpost of European expansion, what happened to the indigenous people? This book tells for the first time the story of the 19th-century penetration, annexation and colonization of southern New Zealand by Europeans, as it affected the local Maori inhabitants. This is not just a local history. The story is told in the broader context of New Zealand history and imperial politics. Base on first-hand contemporary sources it is a compelling narrative in which traders, sealers, whalers, missionaries, naval officers, Maori chiefs, colonists, government officials, Governors, judges, Royal Commissioners, politicians, ordinary Maori, academics, and the modern Waitangi Tribunal all have their say.