Historical & Political Dictionary of New Zealand

Book excerpt: This new, retitled and expanded New Zealand edition is a substantially revised edition of the Historical Dictionary of New Zealand published in the United States in 2005. It describes the many changes of the past decade while building on the solid foundations of the earlier editions that examined the country's long and lively history. It covers a wide range of topics from relations between the Pakeha and the Maori to the country's recent economic changes and environmental policies. The introduction provides a good starting point, and the chronology traces New Zealand's history from the earliest settlers to the present. The dictionary includes hundreds of entries on important people, places, events, and institutions, as well as significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects, and a bibliography for further reading.