Michael Belgrave, “Dancing with the King: The Rise and Fall of the King Country, 1864–1885” (Auckland UP, 2017)

In his new book, Dancing with the King: The Rise and Fall of the King Country, 1864–1885 (Auckland University Press, 2017), Michael Belgrave, Professor of History at Massey University, tells the story of the negotiations, or diplomatic “dance,” between the Māori of the Rohe Pōtae (the King Country in the western part of the North Island) and the colonial Europeans.  Belgrave traces the negotiations through successive stages, culminating in an agreement in 1883, which, by being the first written down, marked a diplomatic turning point. But the dance continues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices