Isaac Featherston - 'Petatone': A Colonial Life

By John E. Martin

'Existing views of Featherston are fragmentary, negative and not very satisfactory. He was the " little Doctor", a single-minded despot wielding tyrannical power and casting an oppressive shadow. As I began to understand more of his life, I realised that there was little appreciation of a man who had contributed so much.' -- John E.Martin Isaac Featherston was at the heart of some of the most significant developments in New Zealand from the 1840s colonisation by the New Zealand Company to the abolition of the provinces in 1876. A doctor, newspaper editor and politician, he advocated for the provinces against the domination of central government, while also being primarily responsible for the relocation of the capital from Auckland to Wellington in 1865. Known amongst Maori as ' Petatone' and with a reputation for directness and honesty, he was at the very centre of Pakeha- Maori relations, and in his 1857 official portrait is depicted alongside leading rangatira Te Puni and Wi Tako.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1776922972
• ISBN13: 9781776922970
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Te Herenga Waka University Press
• Length: 560 Pages