Jeffrey Sissons

Tamati Te Ito Ngamoke, a renowned Taranaki prophet, played a significant role in colonial New Zealand's political landscape. While some, including most settlers and officials, viewed him as an 'imposter', a 'wizard', a 'fanatic'; others, including major Taranaki tribal leaders, revered him as a prophetic tohunga matakite known as 'Te Kai-ngarara' - The Reptile Eater. Today, overshadowed by religious leaders...

Much sought after since its original publication, Nga Puriri o Taiamai furnishes an essential history of New Zealand's most populous iwi. Nga Puriri o Taiamai was first published by the Polynesian Society in 1987 as The Puriri Trees are Laughing. A record of the political history of Nga Puhi tribal groups in the Taiamai and Te Waimate regions of the...