God's Messenger
Subtitle: J. F. Riemenschneider and racial conflict in 19th century New Zealand
Publisher: Huia Publishers
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Wellington
Number of pages: 255
First sentence: On the hillside overlooking the small coastal settlement of Port Chalmers in the South Island of New Zealand, in the old cemetery behind the Iona Presbyterian Church, there is a grave that has been restored by the Dunedin City Council.
Description: A new biography of the North German missionary Rev. J. F. Riemenschneider, who settled in the Taranaki region of New Zealand in the first half of the nineteenth century. The book not only details the life and work of Riemenschneider but also examines the socio-political context of ninteenth century New Zealand. It documents the social conditions of Taranaki Maori in the mid-nineteenth century and increasing tensions between colonists and Maori, leading to the land wars with Taranaki.