NEW ZEALAND

Te Ao Hou, 1972, Page 59

NEW ZEALAND by William K. Jackson and John Harre Thames and Hudson, $3.50 reviewed by G. M. Lawson This very readable book is one of a series ‘New nations and peoples library’ produced by the publishers. As such it is compact, brisk in its style, and factual, while at the same time it very confidently reflects the opinions of its compilers, Jackson and Harré. The book opens with a resume of New Zealand's physical character including notes on its geological history, flora, and fauna. This section is scientific but still comprehensible and understandable to the layman. Next, and perhaps of special interest to the readers of ‘Te Ao Hou’ is a chapter on the Polynesian settlement of New Zealand. The chapter outlines the stories of Maui and Kupe and then outlines past and present theories of Polynesian migration, the canoe tradition, and the probable route of the first settlers from Havaiki. Up to this point the book is objective and factual with no evidence of any ideas of their own which the authors might have entertained. This state of affairs changes in the third chapter, ‘The European Impact’. Here for the first time the book's historical commentary is enriched with interpretive comment. In a tale which by no means whitewashes the early settlers, present day pest controllers, or other users of natural resources, the reader is informed of the broad changes which the arrival of the Pakeha has impacted on the land, its people, and its animal and vegetable life. I think the average New Zealander would really start to sit up and take notice by the time he reached the next chapter ‘Where pragmatism is king’. Dealing with the development of New Zealand's own feeling of identity and New Zealanders' growing sense of nationhood the authors comment, among other assertions,… it is the postwar generation that is providing the first real nationalism. This generation sees New Zealand in a new perspective. Britain, far from being ‘home’ as it was to earlier generations, is now a friendly foreign nation restricting their entry and selfishly pursuing its own interests. They see New Zealand in its Pacific setting, manoeuvring awkwardly between the power of the United States on one side, and the enormous problems and potentialities of Asia on the other. All no doubt true enough but food for thought nevertheless, and do we really see ourselves as ‘manoeuvring awkwardly’? The chapter traces the development of New Zealand's nationhood and the emergence of the welfare state, and attributes these developments to a sense of egalitarianism amongst New Zealanders at different times. At first this stemmed from a rejection of the values of the ‘home’ country, and later from a constructive neo-colonial arrogance. In discussing the maturing of our political ideology, if there is such a thing, the interesting comment is made that the lack of socialist leanings in New Zealand in the late nineteenth century was attributable to the presence of the same problems as those which confronted Europe, but being solved in different ways, i.e. by social reforms within a modified capitalistic system. The inference to me is, that but for good luck rather than good management, New Zealand could have become the world's first truly socialist state, and without a revolution to boot. The intrusion of these hypotheses, although interesting, lends little to the credibility of the book as a whole. And so the story unfolds, touching on our ‘Politics of mediocrity’, social welfare provisions, ties with Britain, racial and ethnic ingredients, immigration (both Polynesian and other), and a chapter called ‘Tangata whenua’ whose content is clear from the title. I enjoyed reading the book and often found myself entertained despite myself. The scholarship is a little skimpy in places but remember that here two men, one of them an Englishman, have set themselves the task of recounting the entire history of

New Zealand people, and New Zealand thought in less than 300 pages. Considering the very wide ranging subject matter of the book, they have done a creditable job. One could suspect the motives of the writers. What is this book for? I think it is obviously supposed to do what it appears, i.e. form part of a series on modern societies, to be read by people other than those who live in them. But much of the tongue-in-cheek comment of ‘New Zealand would be lost on non New Zealanders, e.g. “While ballroom dancing has a small but enthusiastic following, the ballet creates wide, if relatively uninformed, interest in New Zealand. As a participant pastime it is confined to the very young…. In many cases ‘the competitions’ provide a rather pathetic opportunity for enthusiastic mothers to indulge in a vicarious form of exhibitionism…” Again, all true enough, but does this state of affairs throw sufficient light on the New Zealand character to warrant special attention for the benefit of the foreign reader? I think not, which leaves only the alternative, that the message is at least partly intended for New Zealanders and that we are being got at. After reading the book a second time, I have been convinced that we deserve to be got at, and at least Messrs Jackson and Harré have done it in a well-informed, readable, and amusing manner. I recommend the book to those who have a knowledge of New Zealand and who would like to see how it looks to a team who can boast the intimate knowledge of a local and the penetrating analysis of a detached observer. The photographs are representative and technically good, there is a good glossary, and an adequate index.