author
William Pember Reeves
1857–1932
A major figure in New Zealand public life, this writer and reformer helped shape some of the country's best-known labour laws while also building a reputation as a historian and poet. His work joined politics, literature, and social change in a way that still stands out today.
2 Audiobooks
New Zealand
by William Pember Reeves
The Long White Cloud: "Ao Tea Roa"
by William Pember Reeves
About the author
Born in Lyttelton, New Zealand, on 10 February 1857, William Pember Reeves grew up in a politically active family and was educated at Christ's College and Canterbury College. He worked in journalism and law before entering politics, and he became one of the leading voices of New Zealand's Liberal government in the 1890s.
As minister of labour, he was closely associated with the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act of 1894 and with wider social reforms that made New Zealand internationally known for progressive labour policy. Later he served as New Zealand's agent-general, and then high commissioner, in London, remaining an important public figure beyond his parliamentary career.
Reeves was also a man of letters. Alongside poems and other writing, he produced works on New Zealand history, including The Long White Cloud, which helped introduce the country's story to a wider readership. He died in London on 16 May 1932.