Hindsight – Pivotal moments in New Zealand’s History

DescriptionReviewsNZ Booklovers ~ This is an engaging and incredibly practical book for a high school student learning about New Zealand history, or really for anyone with an interest in people, how they interact, and what they are willing to fight for. The title seems to suggest an overview of all of New Zealand history. But this is not the case. Mandy Hager focuses on four main events, only one from the nineteenth century. She tells us from the outset that the book is about ‘people power’, about ordinary people leading change.Hager starts with women’s suffrage. She goes beyond the usual candidates, and addresses the role of Maori wāhine toa in gaining the vote. She even goes so far as to remind us about those who cannot vote in New Zealand today – such as those in prisons. She directs the reader to sources that can tell them about places where it is still really difficult for women to vote. And she asks of our own country, are we there yet? In writing about the dawn raids, and racism in New Zealand, she puts the same question forward. She connects the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior to acts of violence in other countries and in the present, and discusses the current nuclear debate. The real strength of this book is its focus on making history relevant to today.The book is gorgeously laid out, crisp photos, well-aligned text with stand-out quotations, keywords, timelines, pie charts, primary sources and did you knows. The writing is very accessible, and is not at all basic.