The overlooked stories of the emigrant labourers who in 1843 rose up against the New Zealand Company in Nelson, are now finally told in a new book by writer and social historian Jared Davidson.
The History of A Riot offers us a microhistory of an pivotal event, but one that's been obscured by the tales of the region's hardy pioneers. Jared's researched the terrible working conditions of more than 70 gang-men and their wives, who'd faced and risen up against similar class discrimination back home in the UK.
Photo: BWB
