In 1985 French agents bombed the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour to prevent its travel to Polynesia to protest against nuclear testing, killing one person. #MichaelKing , who I know best as an iconic New Zealand historian, published this journalistic account a year later, detailing the French operation and police investigation. The book is extremely detailed at times but still a vital record of a sleazy and contemptible, but historically important, operation. #bookstodon @bookstodon #finishedReading

#FinishedReading #MichaelKing 's biography of Te Puea Herangi, indefatigable organiser of the Māori King movement in the first half of the 20th century. Her forceful charisma, flaws and all, pops off the page in the hands of NZ's most iconic historian. The scale of change in her lifetime for Waikato Māori and NZ is fascinating, as are the insights into other prominent figures like Apirana Ngata and Gordon Coates. #Bookstodon @bookstodon #NZHistory