New Zealand : being a narrative of travels and adventures during a residence in that country between the years 1831 and 1837
Drawing on his six-year residence as a trader in the Bay of Islands, Joel Polack describes the geography, resources, and trading opportunities of the islands, portraying New Zealand as a land rich in natural wealth and commercial promise. He provides extensive observations of Māori society-its social structures, warfare, religion, art, and daily life-often with both admiration for Māori intelligence and skill, and criticism of European exploitation and lawlessness. Polack condemns the destructive impact of unscrupulous traders and whalers while urging Britain to establish formal governance to protect both Māori and settlers. His narrative combines travelogue, ethnographic record, and economic prospectus, presenting New Zealand as a place of cultural complexity and colonial potential. It is still regarded as an important and impartial source about the period immediately preceding the Treaty of Waitangi
Print Book, English, 1838
Richard Bentley, London, 1838