Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy by Philip Matthews; Paul Horan

$49.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

From the Kiwi Concert Party to The Topp Twins, Billy T. James to Rose Matafeo, Fred Dagg to Flight of the Conchords, New Zealanders have made each other laugh in ways distinctive to these islands. Funny As tells the story of comedy in this country through more than 300 pictures and an engaging text bas ed on over 100 interviews with our best comedians. Published alongside a major Television New Zealand documentary series at a time when comedy has never been bigger, the book takes us inside the comedy clubs, cabarets and television studios where comedians work; it charts the rise of cartoons and skits, parody and stand-up; it introduces us to how New Zealand's funniest men and women have made sense (and nonsense) out of this country's changing culture and society. Funny As is the authoritative, hilarious story of New Zealand comedy. ...Show more

The New Zealand Wars | Nga Pakanga o Aotearoa by Vincent O'Malley

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

The New Zealand Wars were a series of conflicts that profoundly shaped the course and direction of our nations history. Fought between the Crown and various groups of Maori between 1845 and 1872, the wars touched many aspects of life in nineteenth century New Zealand, even in those regions spared actua l fighting. Physical remnants or reminders from these conflicts and their aftermath can be found all over the country, whether in central Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, or in more rural locations such as Te Porere or Te Awamutu. The wars are an integral part of the New Zealand story but we have not always cared to remember or acknowledge them. Today, however, interest in the wars is resurgent. Public figures are calling for the wars to be taught in all schools and a national day of commemoration was recently established. Following on from the best-selling The Great War for New Zealand, Vincent O'Malley's new book provides a highly accessible introduction to the causes, events and consequences of the New Zealand Wars. The text is supported by extensive full-colour illustrations as well as timelines, graphs and summary tables. ...Show more

Wild Honey: Reading New Zealand Women's Poetry by Paula Green

$45.00 NZD

Category: Poetry

New Zealand women have published poetry for over 150 years. In this landmark book, poet and anthologist Paula Green celebrates and makes connections between 201 of them, from emerging poets and those who are household names to those who have slipped from public view or were not paid the honour they were due in their lifetimes.  Wide-ranging, engaging and affecting, Wild Honey celebrates the many ways in which poems by women deserve a place in the literary canon of Aotearoa. Charming and unique, the book’s chapters follow the structure of a house, with different poets being discussed and assessed in each of the house’s rooms.  The selection is enormously generous, the tone is at times gentle and accessible, and Green’s reach is wide. She brings the pioneers of women’s poetry — Jessie Mackay, Blanche Baughan and Eileen Duggan — back from the shadows, and she also draws our attention to the remarkable stories of forgotten women poets such as Lola Ridge. ...Show more

Historic New Zealand Racing Cars by Steve Holmes

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

From the sleek futuristic McLaren M8A to the missile-shaped RA Vanguard, these are New Zealand's Historic Racing Cars in all their full-colour, tire-burning glory! Historic New Zealand Racing Cars reveals the fascinating histories of eighteen cars whose stories are intertwined with our motoring history. Author Steve Holmes delves into the origins of each vehicle - from design, to racing achievements, and their fate thereafter. Each car is highlighted with a wealth of eye-catching photography. Featuring such racing greats as the mighty 1968 McLaren M8A Can-Am, through to the grass-roots domestic Specials. Single seaters, sports cars, and saloons are all profiled, with cars from the 1940s to the 1980s. Cars that were designed and built locally, to others of international origin, combined they represent a golden era of New Zealand motor racing history. ...Show more

Partisan: The Incredible True Story of a New Zealand Soldier Behind Enemy Lines by James Caffin

$25.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military | Reading Level: near fine

The gripping story of a New Zealand solider who escaped the clutches of a prisoner-of-war camp to join the Yugoslav freedom fighters during the Second World War After a daring escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in occupied Yugoslavia, John Denvir reached the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, where he join ed a partisan band as a machine-gunner. Believed shot and killed by New Zealand forces and his family in New Zealand, from January 1942 until the end of 1943, Denvir led brave and heroic attacks on German and Italian soldiers from behind enemy lines. He was wounded four times, received the Soviet Medal for Valour and was eventually appointed brigade commander. When 'Corporal Frank' was demobilised he returned to New Zealand and became a taxi driver in the small South Island town of Temuka. Originally published in 1945 and out of print for many years, this is his remarkable true story. ...Show more

The Camera in the Crowd: Filming New Zealand in Peace and War, 1895-1920 by Christopher Pugsley

$80.00 NZD

Category: NZ History

Filming and cinema quickly won the hearts of New Zealand from the mid-1890s, yet the story of the cameramen and the film they took here and in the First World War has never been fully captured. The Camera in the Crowd does that in style, bringing to fruition years of original research and archival work by esteemed historian Christopher Pugsley. This authoritative work, told with Pugsleys brilliant and engaging style, features over 350 photos and illustrations many of them precisely linked to early filming. It tells the fascinating story of early film and filmmakers, deploying links to websites where film can be seen, and featuring a still image on each page than can be flipping pages in the manner of old-style flip books. Beautifully written, designed and printed, this is a major publication. ...Show more

A History of New Zealand Women by Barbara L. Brookes

$69.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

What would a history of New Zealand look like that rejected Thomas Carlyle's definition of history as 'the biography of great men', and focused instead on the experiences of women? One that shifted the angle of vision and examined the stages of this country's development from the points of view of wives , daughters, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and aunts? That considered their lives as distinct from (though often unwillingly influenced by) those of history's 'great men'? In her ground-breaking History of New Zealand Women, Barbara Brookes provides just such a history. This is more than an account of women in New Zealand, from those who arrived on the first waka to the Grammy and Man Booker Prize-winning young women of the current decade. It is a comprehensive history of New Zealand seen through a female lens. Brookes argues that while European men erected the political scaffolding to create a small nation, women created the infrastructure necessary for colonial society to succeed. Concepts of home, marriage and family brought by settler women, and integral to the developing state, transformed the lives of Maori women. The small scale of New Zealand society facilitated rapid change so that, by the twenty-first century, women are no longer defined by family contexts. In her long-awaited book, Barbara Brookes traces the factors that drove that change. Her lively narrative draws on a wide variety of sources to map the importance in women's lives not just of legal and economic changes, but of smaller joys, such as the arrival of a piano from England, or the freedom of riding a bicycle. ...Show more

Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi by Toby Morris with Ross Calman, Mark Derby & Piripi Walker

$20.00 NZD

Category: Children Non Fiction

Ground-breaking full-colour graphic novel about Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi. • Accessible, engaging, image-rich design• Dual-language flip book with Māori and Pākehā authors Ross Calman and Mark Derby• Text in te reo Māori version developed by Māori Language Commission- registered translator Piripi Walker• Reviewed by some of Aotearoa’s foremost Te Tiriti o Waitangi experts to reflect current scholarship• Fills a gap in the market for an accessible book about our founding treaty• Includes a link to both versions of the treaty translated into thirty other languages and New Zealand Sign Language BOOK DEVELOPMENT An English-only edition of this book was first published by the New Zealand Ministry of Education for use in schools. The text was adapted from two articles originally published in the School Journal: “Te Tiriti o Waitangi” by Ross Calman and “Keeping Promises: The Treaty Settlement Process” by Mark Derby. Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi has been developed with help from the following people: Peter Adds, Hōne Apanui, Ian Cormack, Hinerangi Himiona, Jen Margaret, Dame Claudia Orange, Jock Phillips, Kate Potter, and Piripi Walker. ...Show more

Touched by War by Alison Brown; Matthew Martin; Rotorua Returned Services Association Staff (Contribution by)

$29.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

GMC Truck in the NZ logging Industry

$33.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

A Short History of the New Zealand Wars by Gordon McLauchlan

$29.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

Following the ongoing success of A Short History of New Zealand, Great Tales of New Zealand History and Great Tales of Rural New Zealand - all reprinted and still going strong - Gordon McLauchlan has turned his masterful storytelling skills to one of the most important periods in this country's history. Published to coincide with New Zealand's first national day commemorating the wars on 28 October, this insightful and accessible book will be of interest to New Zealanders wanting to find out more about the New Zealand wars and the Maori struggle over land and political power (rangatiratanga) and their consequences for our country without having to wade through heavy tomes. ...Show more

Keepers of History - New Zealand Centenarians Tell Their Stories by Renée Hollis

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

In 2017, Renee Hollis interviewed 120 people over the age of 100, living in every region of New Zealand. Along the way, she had the privilege of interviewing 23 World War II veterans. Her goal in compiling the book was to preserve New Zealand history by sharing the stories and memories of our eldest cit izens. She wants all people to value the elderly and to read and appreciate their stories and contribution to our society. Most importantly, she wants to ensure that that they are not forgotten and do not become invisible in our communities, but instead are honoured and celebrated. In this collection of interviews, we meet opera singers and farmers, a politician and a racing car driver, a nun and a freedom fighter with Gandhi, and even a member of Hip Operation - the oldest hip-hop group in the world! They have witnessed momentous global events and technological innovations that have changed our world. From the everyday to the extraordinary, these are the stories of people who have lived through history and whose message of resilience and making the best of things has so much to offer the generations that have followed them. ...Show more