Secret History

An Italian monk’s stinging criticism of British mistreatment of Maori has been published in New Zealand for the first time – more than 100 years after it was written. Written by Benedictine monk Dom Felice Vaggioli, it details the “abominable behaviour ” of British colonisers. The British government was so incensed it asked Rome to destroy all copies, but a handful survived and were largely forgotten until a translation project began 6 years ago.