Story: History and historians

Cover of New Zealand in the making by J. B. Condliffe

Cover of New Zealand in the making by J. B. Condliffe

J. B. Condliffe was a professor of economics at Canterbury College (1920–26) and one of the few academics in the country who made a serious contribution to the nation’s history in the interwar years. New Zealand in the making appeared in 1930, after Condliffe had left the country, and was a pioneering study of the economic history of New Zealand. As the cover illustration suggests, it charted the development of the country from native bush to 'English' farm. Condliffe subsequently became professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he wrote a much-praised work, The commerce of nations. He also published a biography of his friend Te Rangi Hīroa (Peter Buck).

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: J. B. Condliffe, New Zealand in the making: a survey of economic and social development. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1930 (B-K-1089-COVER)

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'History and historians - The first half of the 20th century – amateur history', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/object/43552/cover-of-new-zealand-in-the-making-by-j-b-condliffe (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 22 Oct 2014