Becoming Aotearoa

In the first major national history of Aotearoa New Zealand to be published for 20 years, Professor Michael Belgrave advances the notion that New Zealand’s two peoples — tangata whenua and subsequent migrants — have together built an open, liberal society based on a series of social contracts.

Frayed though they may sometimes be, these contracts have created a country that is distinct. This engaging new look at our history examines how.