Michael Corboy has spent a huge amount of time researching the early missionary period. This is not PapersPast territory. There are few digital aids to the pre-1840 period. Rather than offering generalisations that lack sufficient evidence to be credible historiographically, Corboy has exhaustively researched the correspondence, the diaries and the reports of those early missionaries. The result is an account for the period from 1814 to 1840 that is neither pro-missionary nor anti-missionary. This fills a gap between those extremes. He has carefully examined the arguments of decades of scholars trying to push an edge in favour of or in criticism of the missionaries. This is a most detailed account of the period. George Connor,formerly Regional Bishop in the Bay of Plenty in the Diocese of Waiapu, and latterly Anglican Bishop of Dunedin (Southland and Otago)
It is impossible to tell the story of New Zealand without telling the story of its missionaries, mediators between the Māori and European world, mentored by men and women of mana, and critical in the early interface between Māori and European ideas, faith and skills.
Although criticised for their ideas to change the Māori world, their presence and the ideas were welcomed and were fundamental in determining the nature of Māori rights before and after the Treaty of Waitangi.
Michael Corboy’s grand vision and attention to detail provides an essential overview of the Church Missionary Society in New Zealand, shedding light on both its religious mission and the Māori communities who engaged with it at a time of dramatic change. It will prove an immensely valuable source for anyone trying to understand the early contact period. Michael Belgrave,Professor of History, School of Humanities, Media and Creative Communication, Massey University.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.