Samuel Marsden

Book excerpt: Reverend Samuel Marsden - 'the flogging parson' - is reviled in Australia's colonial story yet is revered in New Zealand and indeed accorded saintly status. Marsden left England for New South Wales in 1793. The young Anglican parson was appointed to the parish of Parramatta and quickly acquired land and wealth in the convict colony. He was appointed a magistrate in 1796; however, his reputation plummeted as his cruelty and harsh sentences became the stuff of legend. He was removed from the magistracy twice, by Governor Macquarie in 1818 and by Governor Brisbane in 1822. Marsden was the first missionary to New Zealand, visiting seven times between 1814 - when he established its first mission, in the Bay of Islands - and 1837. He is often referred to in New Zealand as 'the Apostle of New Zealand' and 'the Apostle to the Maoris'. Quinn examines the extraordinary divergence of views between the two countries, drawing on a wealth of material on the man, the times and places to explain them. Finding wide gaps in the research on Marsden's role and influence, he argues that his status in New Zealand rests on untested assumptions of goodness, piety and disinterest.