Long-time envirohistory NZ followers may remember that back in mid-2016, I decided to ‘retire’ envirohistory NZ and transition to a new website and blog with a slightly different focus (see envirohistory NZ lives on! (but somewhere else)). Since then, I have only blogged intermittently on envirohistory NZ, to mark big happenings, like the release of books. This move coincided more or less with some big life changes (good ones, I hasten to add!) (see Life changes).
But just recently I have been reflecting on this decision to place envirohistory NZ into a state of semi-dormancy, and have decided, in hindsight, that it was a bit silly. Having built up a large following of highly engaged and intelligent readers – both in New Zealand and overseas – and having created an extensive repository of environmental history stories since launching the website in 2009 [see About], why would I abandon such a good thing!? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.) I have noticed too that despite my neglect of envirohistory NZ, its readership has remained strong, mainly due to the back-catalogue of stories.
So envirohistory NZ is back, with a vengeance. Long-time followers may have noticed that the website has had a bit a refresh, and I will be looking at further improvements (including those all-important aesthetic ones) in the near future.
The scope of my posts will be a bit different to those in previous years – while environmental history remains my passion, I am finding that in recent years, my focus is drawn more and more to the future – and what legacy my generation is going to leave environmentally. I guess this an inevitable sign of age (and, potentially, wisdom – but I suspect more the former)! And some posts will simply be reflections on life in the country.
So, if you remain interested in our intriguing and complex environmental history and what we can learn from it, please buckle up and come along for the ride! And of course, feel free too to share your thoughts via comments or email.
envirohistory NZ 