PERHAPS THE BEST WAY to assess the quality of the NZ
Herald’s “Land of the Long White Cloud” is by studying Tom Clarke’s
characterisation of James Cook. Clarke begins by making Cook a member of the
British aristocracy. He gives him the accent of Hugh Laurie’s Bertie Wooster,
along with most of his mannerisms. Clarke then proceeds to deliver a false
description of Cook’s mission – complete with jokes about planting flags and
claiming countries. All done with a smile, of course, in the interests of
lightening what the series’ creators clearly believe to be a very serious
matter. Even so, if you’re trying to dispel some of the myths surrounding
New Zealand’s origins, then falsifying the historical record would seem to be a
very peculiar way of going about it.
Because James Cook was not a member of the British
aristocracy, he was a plain-speaking Yorkshireman of humble origin.
