Professor Richard Shaw's featuring his latest book.
The book completes a trilogy examining the ways in which personal and collective histories intersect with the colonisation of Aotearoa New Zealand. Over the past five years, Professor Shaw has explored not only the broader impacts of colonisation, but also his own family’s role within it.
That research uncovered confronting truths, including the involvement of his own great-grandfather in the 1881 invasion of Parihaka as part of the Armed Constabulary.
Professor Shaw said his work reflects a growing awareness among Pākehā about their place within the country’s colonial history. He describes this as standing on restless ground, a recognition that many families have connections to land confiscation and systems that dispossessed Māori.
“There will be stories around land, which was purchased, or simply appropriated by the state and never returned,” Professor Shaw says.
“Wherever you go, you will find yourself walking, living, or studying, or dying on land which has a problematic history. And I think being a good settler at the very basic level means reflecting on what that might mean for you.”
Richard Shaw's great-grandfather, Andrew Gilhooly and his Armed Constabulary team mates.
The Good Settler brings together a series of essays that explore how New Zealanders understand identity, belonging and responsibility. Rather than offering simple conclusions, Professor Shaw invites readers to question the stories they tell about themselves and the nation’s past.
“Confronting these histories is an important step toward a more honest national conversation. We cannot continue to hide behind this historical amnesia.”
His work encourages readers to move beyond denial or discomfort, and instead engage thoughtfully with the legacy of colonisation and what it means for contemporary Aotearoa.
“This is a book that invites you to sit down and have a cuppa and work out your associations. Work out your own story, your own history and understand it. That’s how we can best move forward.”
About the author
Richard Shaw is a Professor of Politics at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He is a regular commentator on political issues and the author of a number of academic publications about government, parliament and politics in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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