john mclean Archives -

31May2025

Book Review: The Pioneers – Makers of New Zealand

May 31, 2025

book review, coranz, john mclean, New Zealand, pioneers of nz, settlers, Tross Publishing Book Review

By Tony Orman for Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of NZ Inc

The Pioneers – Makers of New Zealand” by John McLean, published by Tross Publishing. Price $40.

Today, there have been deliberate attempts by some self interested people to serve their personal agendas by rewriting New Zealand’s history and consequently denigrate the European colonists. As such history is in danger of being badly corrupted.

“The Pioneer Makers of New Zealand” admirably does not seek to be judgemental but to be factual through the eyes of those 19th century pioneers. The author has made a conscious effort to avoid any slant on history by quoting the actual words of the settlers themselves.

In adopting this approach there’s another positive spinoff in that brings to life the highs and lows of life of those settlers who sacrificed lives of comfort, indeed luxury in the UK, for an adventurous new life full of the unknown and inevitable challenges.

Historian John McLean has degrees in history and law. His forbears included early 1860 pioneers and also contractor John McLean whose firm in the late 19th century, built bridges, railways, ports, Auckland’s electric tramway system and the early stages of the Otira tunnel.

With these qualifications the author by quoting individual settlers impressions of their new land, has painted a colourful written picture of the daunting conditions and challenges the pioneers faced in setting up life in the new colony. Numerous historical photographs enhance the portrayal.

Egalitarian

Of particular note to the outdoors and recreations is that the pioneers quietly applauded in the deliberate egalitarian character of the new country. There must have been a strong underlying joy by the settlers in the freedom in escaping the strict feudal class society of Britain where the best trout and salmon fishing, pheasant and grouse shooting and deerstalking belonged to the wealthy upper class who could afford the high access fee. The plebs couldn’t afford it.

That ethos of equal opportunity for all was installed into the new colony’s parliamentary laws such the 1908 Fisheries Act where selling fishing rights was prohibited.

The “new found freedom” aspect is also relevant to the outdoors and fishing, hunting and tramping, in that it’s reflected in the spirit of those pioneers with their sense of adventure, perseverance in the face of challenges and characterised by a sense of independence and achievement even in the face of adversity..

It’s interesting to consider those qualities in the light of today’s society. Back in those pioneering days, New Zealanders were a land-conscious outdoor people. The New Zealander’s face was weather-beaten, the skills were muscular and families drew sustenance from the land whether hunting, fishing and/or the home vegetable patch.

Flabby

But society is now falling prey to the weakness of an indoor nation and the flabbiness and obesity of a sedentary society. Mentally, society is at odds within itself, increasingly rent by argumentative division on several fronts, narrow minded self-interest, greed and a few other negative traits.

Author John McLean writes “The pioneer period—called for human qualities that are no longer required in the modern world—(such as) indomitable courage, resourcefulness, perseverance and endurance”.

Pioneering was not for the faint hearted. The voyage would take five months or longer in a tightly packed, smelly and at times rat-infested ship. The settlers would arrive at a small port with limited facilities with no certainty of accommodation and even roads. New Zealand was very much in its pristine state, inhabited by a native race who tended to inter-tribal war, even cannabilism while the land was largely forested.and roadless.

Kiwi Spirit

The author by seemingly meticulous research and obvious skilful writing depicts how the pioneers coped and developed an admirable Kiwi spirit that was to earn admiration on the land, sporting field and in two World Wars.

Incidentally this is the third book in a trilogy about that John McLean has written, the other two being “Voyages of the Pioneers to New Zealand 1839-85″ and “Sweat and Toil; the Building of New Zealand.”

“The Pioneer Makers of New Zealand” as seen largely through the eyes of those early settlers is an intriguing and interesting read. Highly recommended.

8Jun2024

Book Review – The British Empire; A Force for Good

June 8, 2024

admin

book review, democracy, john mclean, slavery, The British Empire, Tross Publishing Book Review, The British Empire

By Crispin Caldicot

Reblogged with the kind permission of The BFD

This tome represents not just a labour of love, but at nearly 600 pages a massive piece of scholarship. 101 of the territories that made up the British Empire are investigated for their fortunes, before, during and after they became British.

What makes this book stand out is that it asks questions that have not been asked, or have simply been avoided, and draws conclusions that should be uncomfortable for many. What was the American Revolutionary War really about? Could it be that the colonists were motivated by a perceived threat from Britain that slavery was going to be abolished? If so, they were correct, and successful. Their victory left them free to chase the former Indian inhabitants as far west as they desired, and maintain slavery in the name of Freedom and Democracy. As the author points out, of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, 41 including Washington and Jefferson were slave owners. As Doctor Johnson said at the time: “How is it that the loudest yelps for liberty come from the drivers of Negroes?”

Britain did of course abolish slavery and the cost to the nation in both lives and money of policing this policy through the Royal Navy was enormous. By mid-century, the squadrons dedicated to capturing the slave-traders accounted for half of all naval spending. Yet the Americans persisted – one US Congressman stated the persistence of British cruisers of the anti-slavery patrol was unwarranted and destructive to private interests. Britain however maintained the moral path and by 1890 the trade in slaves had been all but eliminated on both coasts of the African continent – though there was an incident as late as 1922 involving HMS Cornflower and 29 slaves in the Red Sea.

Britain began a ruthless disposal of its colonies, whether they wanted it or not, after World War II. There was pressure from many sources, but the case of Southern Rhodesia is illuminating in context. The nation had become highly successful, and a bread-basket for Africa. Ironically its economy boomed under sanctions, but why did the British Government insist this thriving nation be handed to a tyrannical African who rapidly turned it into a basket case? It is not wholly clear but the experience of empire building certainly did not prevent Britain from proving equally adept at chicanery and dishonour when pulling it all apart later. Rhodesia was not an atypical case.

Diligently researched, there is much to surprise and enlighten those who have any interest in history. McLean has cast a refreshing lens over the contemporary popular views that all empires are evil and Britain’s doubly so. His conclusion is that the British Empire was indeed a very positive force that enhanced the lives of millions. His book proves there is always another side – frequently hidden and/or shocking – to every story. Highly readable.

1Jun2024

Book Review – The British Empire; A Force For Good

June 1, 2024

admin

book review, colonies, john mclean, The British Empire, Tross Publishing Book Review, The British Empire

First published on the Breaking Views blog and written by Mike Butler. Republished here with permission.

The British Empire – a force for good, a new book, is a refreshing antidote to the current zeal for decolonisation, which encourages us to reimagine history as “a morality play in which white men are the baddies”.

Author John McLean, a writer and publisher, who has a MA in history and a Bachelor of Law from Victoria University in Wellington, and did Bar finals at Grays Inn in London, tells the stories of Britain’s 101 colonies established over 400 years, capturing the boldness and zeal of the pioneers who built the empire.

The story of the British Empire starts during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

“Her defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 gave her people pride, patriotism, and self-confidence which led them to believe that in that buccaneering age they could do great things for themselves and their country”, McLean wrote.

At that time, south and central America had already been carved up by Spain and Portugal, and Pope Alexander VI had issued a papal bull which established the Doctrine of Discovery which drew an imaginary vertical line west of the Azores that gave to Spain all land to the west of it, and to Portugal all land to the east.

Britain, which was in the Elizabethan age no longer part of the Pope’s Catholic empire, took territories in North America, claimed by proclamation by Sir Walter Raleigh, the adventurer who brought tobacco and potatoes from the new world to the English Queen.

After a failed attempt to build a colony at Cape Cod in Massachusetts, three ships carrying 105 colonists set out for Virginia, arriving on May 6, 1607.

That first colony at Jamestown was the trigger for all future British colonisation, and a variation of this basic pattern was used in New Zealand 233 years later.

The first charter to the Virginia Company outlined the basic plan for British colonisation. The British Crown never wanted to bear to cost of colonial projects so directed such efforts to private enterprise.

The monarch, who was at that time James I, assigned land rights to colonists (as sub tenants) for the creation of a settlement which could be used as a base to export commodities to Britain and to create a buffer to prevent Spanish control of the coasts of North and South America.

The Virginia Company financed the project, recruited settlers, and developed the colony which was governed by a council in London, used English law, spoke English, and operated on Christian beliefs and ethics. The monarch took a 20 percent cut of all profit.

Subsequent schemes that adapted to locations and international relations at the various times different colonies were established, refined organisation so that colonies were increasingly self-governing with international relations controlled from London and protection implied by Britain’s extensive armed forces.

British colonies were the building blocks of the British Empire, spreading the English language, customs, law, property rights, and Christianity to more than 100 locations around the globe, creating much of the developed world that we live in today.

That is one reason why McLean can write without fear of contradiction that the British Empire was a force for good.

McLean provides further evidence of this force for good in 20 pages on slavery, and on the sustained efforts Britain took, at great expense, to stamp it out.

Slavery was made illegal in Britain in 1772, the Slave Trade Act 1807 made it illegal for British ships to transport slaves, and from 1808 to 1867, Britain spent 1.8 percent of its GDP every year to seize slave ships and free slaves, McLean wrote.

Britain’s role in reducing slavery is now hardly mentioned while former British territories where slavery had existed hundreds of years ago are claiming trillions in compensation, McLean wrote.

Even more evidence of lasting benefits is the number of engineering projects that the British completed and which remain long after the Empire faded, namely railways in Canada and Uganda, bridges at Victoria Falls and Sydney Harbour, the Ganges Canal, the Hong Kong Airport, and the Otira Tunnel.

At around 600 pages, McLean’s book looks like a time-consuming read. It is easy to read with the information accessible in short chapters with each story briefly told, in a lively style, and to the point, and opiniated.

McLean covers the first 13 colonies in North America lost in the revolutionary war. He points out that this was a war over the right to retain slaves under the cover story of taxation without representation.

Canada, the Caribbean, and West Africa are discussed next. Britain was attracted by Sierra Leone’s large harbour. Freetown there was created in 1787 and settled by 400 former slaves from Britain freed in 1772.

Colonies in north, east and southern Africa are covered before moving on to the Atlantic Islands, the Mediterranean, the Middle East (the founders of Israel get a kicking), India, territories in the Indian Ocean, south-east Asia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.

McLean shows the extent to which independence was a disaster for many colonies. He quotes a London Times report on May 8, 2000, which said that:

“Sierra Leone was among the most developed British colonies in West Africa, whose diamond wealth provided a high standard of living. But in the past 30 years, the lure of diamonds has proved to be the country’s undoing, leading to chronic instability, a 10-year uprising, and some of the worst atrocities in Africa. It is now the poorest country in the world and comes bottom of the UN misery index. Many thousands have been mutilated by rebel fighters. The capital, Freetown, has been repeatedly looted, and most of the country’s educated people have emigrated. The diamond mines have been largely wrecked.”

Sadly, that story of armed conflict, atrocities, looting, and white flight after Britain granted independence to numerous colonies has been repeated many times. Such is the legacy of decolonisation, that “morality play in which white men are the baddies”.

The British Empire – a force for good, John McLean, Winter Productions, 594 pages, illustrated, $50 (including postage within New Zealand), available at www.trosspublishing.com or trosspub@gmail.com.

1 2