Win a copy of At the Margin of Empire: John Webster and the Hokianga, 1842-1900

Question One:

John Webster experienced a wide variety of life had to offer in Scotland, Australia and New Zealand. What do you think allowed him to develop the resilience required to adapt and thrive?

I think to a certain extent it came down to sheer force of personality. He was obviously inquisitive about the world and not lacking in confidence about his ability to deal with whatever life threw at him. That personality is pretty clearly on display when you compare him to his brother, William, who in a lot of ways lived a similar life in Hokianga. But William's more gentle nature meant he never enjoyed John's material success.
What is also striking is Webster's incredible work ethic. You see it a lot with people of this time. They seem to be able to put in hours of physical work that seems super-human to us (or at least those of us who live in town!). Especially as a young man he would often get at four or five o'clock and work for several hours before breakfast and then put in a full day's graft.
I think it's important to remember, though, that Webster's life did take a physical and emotional toll on him. By the early 1870s he was showing signs of exhaustion and even possibly mild depression, so his resilience had its limits.
Question Two:

John Webster experienced land wars in both Australia and New Zealand. Did he learn Te Reo primarily to trade or increase the likelihood of staying alive or a bit of both?

A bit of both. As a small-time trader in the 1840s, and even as a wealthier man in the 1850s and1860s, learning Te Reo was vital to dealing with his Maori customers. In the 1840s he would travel up and down the river (as he called the Hokianga Harbour) buying from and selling to small communities such as Omanaia. At the time there were around 3000 Maori in the district and about 100 Pakeha, so Maori was the language of trade. If he was going to be a successful trader, and even live successfully in the district, then leaning to speak Maori at least to a basic standard, was essential.
And even later on, this would have remained the case. Hokianga remained largely unchanged in a demographic sense until around the 1880s - in the 1870s it was still referred to by Pakeha as a "native district", so the need to speak Maori was still there.
Webster would possibly also have used his ability to speak Maori as a way of boosting his standing with the government. He wanted to be seen as someone who could be of use in securing support for the government in the outlying districts, so being able to communicate effectively with leaders like Tamati Waka Nene would have helped his standing.
Question Three:

The life of John Webster is described as colorful, how did you make sure that the biography recorded deeds both dirty and good in context of the times that one of our early timber traders lived?

I'm not sure I deliberately set out to make sure the portrayal of Webster included good deeds or dirty deeds. I was interested in seeing what his impact had been on the district he lived in, and because that impact was largely economic the focus tends to be on his actions as a trader and creditor, which had some negative consequences for his Maori customers and kin.
But in any portrayal you want to be fair to the person you are writing about and give a rounded idea of their life, and I think that's where my admiration for his physical bravery comes in, hopefully. He wasn't always the most likeable person to write about, in some ways, but I have always retained a real respect for his physical courage, and for his willingness to live a life as an adult in a world so different from the comfort of his Scottish childhood. I hope that comes across, too.
To win a copy of this book CLICK HERE Competition closes 9th April.
Open to NZ residents only.