The Chief and the Empire: The incredible story of Te Pahi, the Māori trailblazer betrayed by the Crown - Eugene Bingham PRE-ORDER

The Chief and the Empire uncovers the extraordinary true tale of Te Tai Tokerau rangatira Te Pahi — the first influential Māori leader to cross the Tasman — whose curiosity about the Pākehā world forged alliances, saved lives, and ultimately cost him his own.

On a visit to Sydney in 1805 Te Pahi was feted as a celebrity. He built close ties with the Governor of NSW, Philip Gidley King, even staying as a guest in the Governor's house for several months. He also met the missionary, Samuel Marsden, both men recognising Te Pahi's remarkable character and mana.

Te Pahi examined the budding NSW colony and its brutal justice system with intelligence and compassion — and shocked King, by condemning the death sentences for a group of men accused of stealing food, ultimately sparing some of their lives.

But history did not reward his courage. On returning home, Te Pahi was wrongly blamed for a deadly attack on a British ship, the Boyd, and killed, his name darkened for generations.

Part history, part true-crime investigation, this is a riveting account of Te Pahi's remarkable journey and early Māori–Pākehā encounters, the injustice that destroyed a leader, and the unexpected legacy carried by the descendants of the men he fought to protect.

Author bio:

In a career spanning 35 years, Eugene Bingham (Pākehā, Ngāpuhi) has won multiple awards as one of Aotearoa's most respected investigative journalists, reporting and producing news and current affairs across newspapers, television, digital and podcast platforms. Memorable projects include the Teina Pora miscarriage of justice case, and investigative documentaries The Valley, Infinite Evil and Life + Limb. He co-produced the internationally acclaimed podcast The Commune as well as other award-winning podcasts Witi Underwater, True Story and The District. He's a director of Te Pūrongo Productions with long-time collaborator Adam Dudding and executive producer of Mata Reports.

During a lifetime of running, Eugene has completed dozens of marathons and ultra-marathons up to 100 miles in distance. Nowadays, though, he's more likely to be at the start line of a 5km parkrun, principally to earn coffee with friends afterwards.

Since 2021, he's been learning te reo Māori, mostly at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, with the goal of re-introducing the language to his whānau.

Eugene lives in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland with his wife, journalist Suzanne McFadden, their children and mokopuna.

288 pages