When New Zealand's prime minister William Massey joined other heads of British Empire countries in signing the 1919 Treaty of Versailles to end World War I and join the League of Nations, he did not regard the act as a declaration of independence. On the contrary, while Canadian and South African leaders saw membership in the league as a rite of passage towards greater autonomy, New Zealand's leader viewed it as an unwelcome burden and a potential threat to the British Empire. This history of New Zealand's relations with the League of Nations from its inception in 1920 to its demise in 1946 follows the government's transformation in attitude from its initial hostility to detached acceptance and, finally, passionate support in the late 1930s. By chronicling this complex movement, the book traces New Zealand's first tiny, halting steps towards developing its own foreign policy.

First published in 1930, New Zealand in the Making is an economic history of the democratic experiments in New Zealand. The geography, population, government ownership of public utilities, compulsory arbitration, pensions and all other factors have been covered in detail. The book will be of interest to anyone keen on learning about New Zealand as well as to students of economy, history, agriculture, and government.

In the history of how the law has dealt with environmental issues over the last century or so, the 1920s and 30s and the key role of the League of Nations in particular remain underexplored by scholars. By delving into the League's archives, Omer Aloni uncovers the story of how the interwar world expressed similar concerns to those of our own time in relation to nature, environmental challenges and human development, and reveals a missing link in understanding the roots of our ecological crisis. Charting the environmental regime of the League, he sheds new light on its role as a centre of surprising environmental dilemmas, initiatives, and solutions. Through a number of fascinating case studies, the hidden interests, perceptions, motivations, hopes, agendas and concerns of the League are revealed for the first time. Combining legal thought, historical archival research and environmental studies, a fascinating period in legal-environmental history is brought to life.

Diverse elements have created New Zealand’s distinctive political and social culture. First is New Zealand’s journey as a colony, and the various impacts this had on settler and Maori society. The second theme is the quest for what one prominent historian has labelled ‘national obsessions’ – equality and security, both individual and collective. The third, and more recent, theme is New Zealand’s emergence as a nation with a unique identity. New Zealand’s small geographic size and relative isolation from other societies, the dominant influence of British culture, the resurgence of Maori language and culture, the endemic instability of an economy based on a narrow range of pastoral products, and the dominance of the state in the lives of its people, all help to explain much of the present-day New Zealand psyche. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of New Zealand contains a chronology, an introduction, appendix, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 800 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about New Zealand.

The aim of this book is to provide the reader with an overview of New Zealand's international relations. It is a country that has often shown an international presence that is out of proportion to the modest spectrum of national economic, military and diplomatic capabilities at its disposal.In this volume, the editors have called upon a range of specialists representing a range of views drawn from the worlds of academia, policy-making, and civil society. It is an attempt to present a rounded picture of New Zealand's place in the world, one that does not rely exclusively on any particular perspective. The book does not claim to be exhaustive. But it does seek to present a more wide-ranging treatment of New Zealand's foreign relations than has generally been the case in the past.Five broad themes help shape and organize the contributions to the text:

This book is a comparative study of government and public policy in the twenty small states of the Pacific Islands, examining the often tense societal interactions over competing conceptions of public-sector institutions and authority, rule-making, and policy processes.

This volume highlights those instances in the work of international organizations where advances have been made concerning indigenous rights. It also devotes attention to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and to a number of thematic issues in the field. The human rights situations facing indigenous peoples in Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria and South Africa are dealt with in separate chapters.