Presenting New Zealand is a visually sumptuous and informative account of how the country has developed into the independent nation that the rest of the world recognises today. Starting with the huge rifts of prehistoric times that tore it apart from Gondwana, the book traces the arrival of the first Polynesian canoes, the exploration and settlement by Europeans and the modern-day social, economic and political achievements of this remarkable country. In forgoing modern scenic illustration, and instead focusing the text and images exclusively on history, this fully revised edition is a major departure from the work as it appeared in its original edition, which was published in 2001 by New Holland under the title of Presenting New Zealand: a Nation's Heritage.

About the Author

Dr Philip Temple is one of New Zealand's most prominent authors, the writer of novels, children's books and non-fiction. He won a 2003 Montana award for A Sort of Conscience: The Wakefields, and is the recipient of the Robert Burns Fellowship, University of Otago, the National Library Fellowship, Wellington, and a Doctorate of Literature from the University of Otago.