I Shall Not Die

"You were made a Pakeha, and the name of England was given to you for your tribe. I was made a Maori, and New Zealand was the name given to me. You forgot that there was a space fixed between us of great extent - the sea. You, forgetting that, jumped over from that place to this. I did not jump over from this place to that ...Move off from my places to your own places in the midst of the sea." - Titokowaru.

Straddling the Maori and European worlds of the 1860s, Titokowaru was one of New Zealand's greatest leaders. A brilliant strategist, he used every device to save the Taranaki people from European invasion. When peaceful negotiation failed, he embarked on a stunning military campaign against government forces. His victories were many, before the battle he lost. Although he was 'forgotten by the Pakeha as a child forgets a nightmare', his vision was one that would endure.

Titokowaru (Ngati Ruanui) was born in South Taranaki in 1823. Converting to Christianity (and pacifism) at 20, he later became disillusioned with Christianity and joined the bitter fighting of the period - protesting against continual land loss and the erosion of his people's rights.

Leading a strong intertribal force, Titokowaru nearly succeeded in repelling the colonial forces in the Taranaki wars of 1868-69. But at the final hour, his people deserted him, in circumstances that remain unclear.

Winner of the Adam Award on first publication in 1989, I Shall Not Die is a compelling history that has contributed to the rethinking of New Zealand's past.