Wings over New Zealand: A Social History of New Zealand Aviation by Matthew Wright

The people and planes that connected New Zealand

Good Condition - With light surface scuffs, edge rubbing, minor corner wear and a small crease near the upper front. Small marks near the back-cover barcode. Gift inscription on an opening page.

From experimental flights to the age of mass air travel, aviation transformed how New Zealanders worked, travelled and understood their place in the world. Matthew Wright traces that transformation through the lives of celebrated pioneers, including Richard Pearse, Henry Wigram and Jean Batten, alongside less familiar figures whose ambitions helped the industry take flight. Trans-Tasman crossings, wartime service, aerial mapping and agricultural innovation lead into the growth of national airlines and commercial passenger services. The story also embraces tragedy, including the Erebus disaster, and the economic pressures that reshaped flying towards the end of the twentieth century. Illustrated with historical photographs, this social history places aircraft within the wider story of a country overcoming distance through ingenuity, enterprise and a determination to reach beyond its shores.