This book is the culmination of years of research and writing over which time I have been fortunate to receive advice and assistance from a number of people.
Initially, encouragement from Te Warena Taua (formerly of the Auckland Museum), Roger Neich (Auckland Museum) and Ian Watt (formerly of Reed Publishing) gave me the confidence and impetus to write this book. Without their input the project would not have got off the ground.
Thanks go to the following people and libraries for their assistance during my various stages of research: Janice Chong and her team at the Auckland Museum Library; Manuela Angelo and her team at the Hector Library; the Alexander Turnbull Library; and the National Library. Suggestions and advice from the numerous staff I beleagured with my requests for ideas on further research material were invaluable.
A special thanks also goes to Hoturoa Kerr of Te Tari Maori, Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, for writing the foreword.
Once the ‘easy’ part of researching and writing the book was completed, Peter Janssen and Alison Southby at Reed Publishing displayed the patience of saints when assisting me to tidy up and present a workable manuscript. A heartfelt thanks to them both.
Finally I need to thank my long-suffering wife Fuli, who did everything from rescuing my work when the computer crashed to putting up with my absence when I locked myself away night after night trying to keep up with the writing timetable, and for reading and rereading my work in the process, finding what seemed to be hundreds of spelling and grammatical errors. Thank you.