NZHistorian.com
Samuel Carpenter is an historian of New Zealand/Aotearoa and the British empire who is particularly concerned with the role of ideas in history (‘intellectual history’) and the evolution of political institutions. This is his personal blog page which highlights ongoing research and provides links to publications.
Latest posts…
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Review of Jeffrey Sisson’s Forgotten Prophet
Samuel Carpenter, Review of Jeffrey Sissons, The Forgotten Prophet: Tāmati te Ito and His Kaingārara Movement (Bridget Williams Books, 2023), in Anglican Journal of Theology in Aotearoa and Oceania 3/1… Read more ⇢
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From the Archives, no. 8
I have taken great pleasure recently in writing a concise narrative of the great sea battle of January 1815 between HMS Endymion and USS President, which took place at the… Read more ⇢
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From the Archives, no. 7
Microcosm of a missionary library – Church Missionary Society, New Zealand, 1824. Yesterday, I came across this fascinating little insight into the reading world of an early nineteenth century, evangelical… Read more ⇢
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Do we need the English text of the treaty too?
An imagined conversation: Yes, we need the English text, because the Māori text came from the English text… Hang on, the English text says Māori ceded sovereignty – but they… Read more ⇢
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From the Archives, no. 6
Research at Alexander Turnbull Library (Wellington) last week delivered some remarkable documents and taonga, including this whakapapa showing descent from Hoturua (leader of the Tainui waka) and baptism registers revealing… Read more ⇢
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News commentary on ‘leaked treaty principles bill advice’
I gave a pre-recorded interview to a Newstalk ZB journalist last Friday; extracts were included in two news bulletins on Saturday 20 January 2024. They captured probably my main point:… Read more ⇢
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From the Archives, no. 5 –
Memorial to Henry Williams from the Māori Church, 1876. As I’m nearing the end of a draft of a new biography of Henry Williams, I’m reading some fascinating newspaper material… Read more ⇢
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Te Whānau Wiremu ki Aotearoa: How the Williams’ story has shaped Christianity, Culture, and Nation in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Just published in Stimulus: The New Zealand Journal of Christian Thought and Practice, vol. 30, no. 1, 2023: Te Whānau Wiremu ki Aotearoa: How the Williams’ story… This article is… Read more ⇢
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Op-Ed: understanding “the Doctrine of Discovery” in context
I was recently asked to contribute an opinion piece on the recent discourse surrounding “the Doctrine of Discovery”. I attempted to locate the “doctrine” in context by explaining what it… Read more ⇢
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From the Archives, no. 4: early printed versions of He Wakaputanga 1835 and Te Tiriti 1840 – printed at the Paihia mission press
I came across these in my files this week and just thought I would post them here: first, because they are beautifully clear printing efforts by William Colenso (in 1836)… Read more ⇢
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Can te Tiriti-the Treaty be reconciled? A review of Ned Fletcher’s The English Text of the Treaty of Waitangi – by S. Carpenter
Just published in the last week or so: Samuel Carpenter, ‘Review of The English Text of the Treaty of Waitangi, by Ned Fletcher. Bridget Williams Books, 2022′, in New Zealand… Read more ⇢
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from the lecture room #2
Below is a second lecture segment that highlights two of the most significant Māori political speeches and correspondence of the mid-nineteenth century: Rēnata Kawepō’s critique of the Waitara transaction, and… Read more ⇢
Samuel D Carpenter 