Hītori
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Series: The NZ Series Title: The Treaty of Waitangi Author: Ross Calman ISBN: 978-1-99-004277-5 RRP: $29.99 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, PB, 100 pp, colour Published: 21 January 2025 For Teacher Resource: click here ‘The story of The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi is one of the greatest in New Zealand history. It marks the moment British and Māori history intersected and a new nation was formed.’ In The Treaty of Waitangi, Ross Calman outlines the impact of the Treaty from early contact between Māori and European settlers and signing around the country through to its revitalisation in the twentieth century, the formation of the Waitangi Tribunal and the present-day debates about its place at the centre of political and cultural life. Extensive illustrations, photos and fact boxes examine New Zealand’s founding document from a range of viewpoints, and highlight the importance of Te Tiriti as a key to understanding the nation’s past, present and future. This eighth book further extends Oratia’s NZ Series, a non-fiction resource for general readers and schools, introducing complex subjects in concise terms. -
Title: Kiwi A Curious Case of National Identity Author: Richard Wolfe ISBN: 978-1-99-004264-5 RRP: $45.00 Specs: 250 x 185 mm, PB, 208 pp, colour Publishing: 10 October 2024 Kiwi is a fascinating deep dive into New Zealand’s curious national identity. Cultural author and avid Kiwiana collector Richard Wolfe explores the evolution of ‘kiwi’ from the Māori name of a secretive bird to its many uses today — renaming a fruit native to China, signifying a New Zealander, and a powerful term in national and international branding. With extensive colour illustrations, photographs and ephemera, and the author’s keen eye for the curious, Kiwi presents some outlandish stories, tales of cultural appropriation and recognition of ‘Kiwi’ around the world. A popular study on New Zealand identity, this is an entertaining and important work for fans of all things kiwi and Kiwis themselves. -
Title: Ratana the Prophet Author: Keith Newman ISBN: 978-1-99-004258-4 RRP: $45.00 Specs: 230 x 153 mm portrait, PB, 284 pp, colour and b&w Published: 7 May 2024‘A life-changing vision in 1918 inspired an ordinary man to accept an extraordinary challenge. In championing a deep cultural shift among the decimated Māori people of New Zealand, Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana helped rechart the course of a nation.’ T.W. Ratana is a tōtara of modern history — the visionary founder of New Zealand’s largest homegrown religion, the Ratana Church and movement. Ratana the Prophet tells his life story, from his early days as a hard-working farmer, heavy drinker and gambler to the ‘divine’ encounters where he picked up the mantle of earlier Māori prophets, and championed the Treaty of Waitangi as the nation’s founding document. This new edition builds on Keith Newman’s decades of research into T.W. Ratana, updated to take in the events of the 2010s and early 2020s, and includes previously undisclosed and untranslated material. -
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Title: Those Who Have the Courage The History of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps Author: Matthew Wright ISBN: 978-1-99-004255-3 RRP: $95.00 Specs: Jacketed hardback, 280 x 215 mm portrait, 648 pp, colour and b&w Published: 3 April 2024 EBOOK AVAILABLE NOW! PRINT EDITION HAS SOLD OUT.‘Those Who Have the Courage will be a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in the military and social history of New Zealand. It is a comprehensive history of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps, the Mounted Rifles and predecessor units ...’ — Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, from the Foreword The product of painstaking, multi-year research by esteemed historian and author Matthew Wright, this richly illustrated hardback is a must-have for the history reader. Part 1 covers the colonial cavalry that fought in the NZ Wars and Anglo-Boer War, then Part 2 moves to the Mounted Rifles distinguishing themselves in the First World War, at the end of which the tank came into play. Part 3 describes the Armoured Corps’ varied roles in the Second World War; Part 4 details what Wright calls an ‘armoured evolution’, through actions from the Korean War to Vietnam and Part 5 records action in East Timor and Afghanistan, and modern challenges, rounding out this readable story. The appendices include rolls of honour, lists of vehicles and organisational charts.E-book available from
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Title: Vikings of the Sunrise Author: Te Rangi Hīroa (Sir Peter Buck) Foreword by Paora Tapsell ISBN: 978-1-99-004249-2 RRP: $49.99 Specs: PB with flaps, 210 x 140 mm portrait, 392 pp, b/w with 2 photo sections of 16 pp Published: 18 October 2023 Vikings of the Sunrise ranks as a masterpiece of Pacific studies. From the pen of one of the greatest Māori thinkers and writers of his generation, the settlement of the Pacific Ocean comes to life. The book ranges across the Pacific Ocean and the people who populated it, considering their physical and spiritual origins, and the ships they built to conquer this vast territory. It weighs evidence for different routes, retells myths of migration including the Māui series, recounts the author’s visits to islands and atolls across the South Pacific, and overall establishes the ‘vikings’ of the Pacific among the greatestever ocean voyagers. First published in 1938, Vikings of the Sunrise is here reproduced in an enhanced facsimile edition, including photos and maps compiled by the author on his voyages, and a new foreword by anthropologist Paora (Paul) Tapsell. Oratia Books is pleased to bring Vikings of the Sunrise back into print for modern readers as part of our NZ Classics series. -
Title: Te Kooti’s Last Foray Author: Ron Crosby ISBN: 978-1-99-004234-8 RRP: $49.99 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, 288 pp (16 pp colour) Published: 8 August 2023 For Teacher Resource: click hereOn 7 March 1870 the prophet and rebel Te Kooti swept out of Te Urewera to Ōpape, east of Ōpōtiki, in what would be his last major action of the New Zealand Wars. His forces abducted 218 Whakatōhea (mostly women, children, and old men) and marched them into the bush to build a pā called Waipuna. Before long the government sent troops in pursuit — almost exclusively Māori.
In this captivating book, historian Ron Crosby draws on his decades of experience in Te Urewera and recently discovered diaries to recount this overlooked yet crucial episode in the New Zealand Wars — for the first time locating precisely where the events occurred, and telling what really happened. A foreword by Justice Joe Williams sets the scene …
Illustrated with detailed maps, sketches and photos, Te Kooti’s Last Foray sets straight the historical record of Ngāti Porou and Whanganui’s chase, casts new light on the character and abilities of Te Kooti, and brings to life an incredible story of hardship, endurance and conflicting loyalties in colonial New Zealand.
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Title: Auckland: The Twentieth-Century Story Author: Paul Moon ISBN:978-1-99-004235-5 RRP: $45.00 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, PB, 360 pp, b&w Published: 5 April 2023 Auckland in 1999 would have been unrecognisable to the city’s residents at the beginning of the twentieth century — the result of dramatic changes in populations, cultures, beliefs, aspirations and senses of itself. Auckland: The Twentieth-Century Story journeys through the mosaic of cultures and lifestyles, anxieties and hopes, disasters and triumphs, virtues and vices that led to this transformation. Drawing on diaries, oral history, newspapers and other media, Paul Moon explores themes including housing, gardening, the harbours, tangata whenua struggles, shopping culture, the immigrant experience and the pervading sense that Auckland was simultaneously at the edge of the world yet at its centre. Readers across New Zealand will experience many ‘Where were you when …?’ moments as they explore the changing landscapes of our largest city. Moon’s crisp writing gives readers everywhere a sense of a city that has felt triumph and failure but continues to develop so its citizens can proudly call it home. -
Title: Footprints on the Land How Humans Changed New Zealand Author: Richard Wolfe ISBN: 978-1-99-004220-1 RRP: $45.00 Specs: 250 x 185 mm, PB, 184 pp, b&w with colour sections Published: 12 October 2022 The Book: Richard Wolfe eloquently summarises this book’s scope in his Introduction: For upwards of 800 years, humans have made New Zealand their home, modifying the landscape to suit their needs. Although there can be no going back to the land’s original pristine condition, an awareness of the history of these changes will provide both a background and surely improve understanding of our present circumstances and challenges. Footprints on the Land tracks those changes — from early settlement and wars through to state building, with railways, species introductions, milling, mining and farming. Later chapters recount the impacts of urbanisation, draining and flooding, and the car, before considering the threats and opportunities that now face New Zealanders as a result. Wolfe’s timely tour of the human place on these islands is distinguished by art and photography that display what we’ve created and what we’ve lost. -
Title: The Battlecruiser New Zealand Author: Matthew Wright ISBN: 978-1-526784-0-32 RRP: $59.99 Specs: Jacketed hardback, 234 x 156 mm portrait, 288 pp, b&w with colour Published: 16 November 2021 TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCKIn March 1909 New Zealand’s Premier Joseph Ward offered a ‘first-class battleship of the latest type’ to the British Navy as a contribution to the Empire (and to guard against the perceived threat of a newly rising Japan). Paid for by the people of New Zealand it would enter service in time to fight with distinction in all the major naval battles in the First World War. Born of the collision between New Zealand’s patriotic dreams and European politics, the tale of HMS New Zealand is further wrapped in issues of engineering, naval strategy and public opinion. Written as part naval history and part ‘biography’ of the vessel and its sailors, The Battlecruiser New Zealand is a fast-paced account of the ship’s career — brought to life through official documents, eyewitness accounts and new research. Extensively illustrated throughout with black & white and colour photos, plans and paintings, this attractive hardback will appeal to a wide audience, from naval enthusiasts to the general reader of New Zealand history. -
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Title: Seven Lives on Salt River Author: Dick Scott ISBN: 978-1-99-004210-2 RRP: $39.99 Specs: 250 x 182 mm portrait, PB facsimile edition, 160 pp, b&w Published: 11 October 2021 WINNER: 1988 New Zealand Book Award, non-fiction OUT OF STOCK, REPRINT UNDER CONSIDERATION‘There are marvellous insights into people … it is an extraordinary book.’ — David Lange First published in 1987 and here in its third edition, Seven Lives on Salt River is a local history that has transcended its boundaries along the northern Kaipara Harbour around Pahi to be a universal story of how European arrivals adapted to life among Māori in a new land. Dick Scott was renowned for bringing the suppressed history of Parihaka to light in Ask That Mountain, and like that earlier work, Seven Lives has become a classic of popular storytelling. The seven families he portrays here were both ordinary and outstanding, including Gordon Coates, the first New Zealand-born prime minister, the Blackwells, responsible for a standard botanical guide to the country, and Henry Scotland, a father of the peace movement and champion of Māori land rights. Beyond their legacies, it is the detail of how these families fitted in and the spectacular illustrations that gives this book its enduring fascination. Printed locally in a facsimile edition. -
Title: The New Zealand Wars Series: The NZ Series Author: Matthew Wright ISBN: : 978-0-947506-93-3 RRP: $29.99 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, PB, 108 pp, colour Published: 8 July 2021 For Teacher Resource: click here Why did the New Zealand Wars occur? Who fought them and how did they proceed? And where were these battles fought? In The New Zealand Wars, Matthew Wright answers these questions in probing text supported by fact boxes and illustrations that make navigating these protracted wars easy. Building on his 2014 book on the same subject, Wright covers all of the wars’ major incidents, movements and people, including the Battle of Gate Pa, Pai Marire, and figures such as Colonel G.S. Whitmore and Te Kooti. He shows that the wars, which pitted British settlers and allied Māori against other Māori over a 30-year period, really ended up as a civil war fanning flames in many regions. The book features glossaries that explain military terms, and sidebars that explore subjects like ‘Did Māori invent trench warfare?’, and ‘Food, horrible food’. There are over 70 colour images, including of battle sites that we can visit today. -
Title: Events in the Life of Phillip Tapsell Editor: Jonathan Adams ISBN: 978-0-947506-92-6 RRP: $45.00 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, PB, 252 pp, b&w Published: 6 May 2021 The Book: Hans Falk, born in 1790 in Copenhagen, took to the sea as a lad, changed his name to Phillip Tapsell, and after many adventures settled at Maketū in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. There he became the key trader for local iwi and married into the highest levels of Te Arawa, while helping other tribes to defend themselves against invasion from northern tribes. He was, in other words, one of the original Pākehā-Māori. Yet Tapsell’s life of daring is not well known today, and the memoirs he dictated to Edward Little shortly before his death were only ever published in newspaper form. Brought together, these make an important contribution to the history of the countries of his birth and death. Meticulously researched and edited by Dr Jonathan Adams, this book presents the original manuscript with close editing and annotation. Part 1 discusses Tapsell’s life and identity as a Pākehā-Māori; Part 2 reproduces his reminiscences as recorded by Little; and Part 3 summarises the key events in the story, examines the manuscript as an artefact, and includes accounts of Tapsell’s life and how that has been interpreted in Denmark. -
Title: First Encounters Series: The NZ Series Author: Gordon Ell and Sarah Ell ISBN: 978-0-947506-90-2 RRP: $29.99 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, PB, 108 pp, 2 colour Published: 8 April 2021 For Teacher Resource: click here The Book: Europeans had no idea what they would find when they first set eyes on Aotearoa. First Encounters selects some of the key writings from these early traders, missionaries, explorers and surveyors — covering nearly 200 years from Abel Tasman in 1642 and Joseph Banks in 1769, through to early settlers such as John Logan Campbell in 1840. Their records of encounters with this new land and its Māori inhabitants reveal stories of wonder, curiosity, misunderstanding and adventure — all with maximum interest and impact for modern readers. The text is liberally illustrated with two-colour imagery and historical photos, alongside fact boxes explaining historical language and events. -
Title: The Forgotten Wars Why the Musket Wars matter today Author: Ron Crosby ISBN: 978-0-947506-79-7 RRP: $39.99 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, PB, 208 pp, b&w with 16-pp colour Published: 14 October 2020 For Teacher Resource: Click here The Book: Muskets, potatoes and other introductions fundamentally altered the balance of power in 19th-century Aotearoa, leading to inter-iwi conflicts over almost 40 years that claimed tens of thousands of lives (killing, wounding or displacing up to half of the Māori population). Distinguished author and lawyer Ron Crosby brilliantly rewrites his seminal The Musket Wars on a thematic basis, simplifying it to a concise new work full of maps and illustrations for the general reader. Years of presentations to schools and groups is reflected in this dynamic new approach. This important book will further understanding of how the boom of muskets continues to echo in New Zealand today. And it needs to — the wars are still neglected by government and glossed over by other histories. The Forgotten Wars ensures these epic conflicts will be remembered.E-book available from
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Title: Freyberg A Life's Journey Authors: Matthew Wright ISBN: 978-0-947506-72-8 RRP: $45 Specs: 234 x 153 mm portrait, PB with flaps, 232 pp, b&w Published: 6 October 2020 The Book: Bernard Freyberg was a legend while alive and is an iconic figure today, commemorated in the naming of schools, squares and swimming pools across the country. But how much do we really know of the man behind the myth? And what enabled a humble immigrant child in Wellington to become a hero in two wars, friend to literary giants and politicians, very private father and husband, and very public governor-general? In this fresh account of one of the 20th-century’s great New Zealanders, Matthew Wright approaches Bernard Freyberg the man rather than the more widely known figure of a military leader. Freyberg: A Life’s Journey is the most accessible biography on ‘Tiny’ Freyberg yet, with numerous black and white photos. -
Title: Rush to Riches Kauri and Gold Series: The NZ Series Author: Gordon Ell ISBN: 978-0-947506-70-4 RRP: $29.99 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, PB, 100 pp, 2 colour Published: 8 May 2020 For Teacher Resource: click here The Book: The discovery of gold in New Zealand in the 1800s led thousands of people to rush to overnight tent towns set among isolated mountains and rivers. In the north, vast forests of giant kauri trees cloaked the land. Yet now only a tiny fraction of the trees survive in threatened forests, and many goldmining settlements are just ghost towns. Rush to Riches tells the story of how mining for gold and felling the kauri forests helped found New Zealand, with both Māori and new immigrants involved in these new industries. The tales in this book reveal how exploiting these resources changed the face of the land and its people. The third in The NZ Series brings these important forces in history and the environment to readers from young adults on, with plentiful illustrations and information boxes. -
Title: Shipwrecked New Zealand maritime disasters Authors: Gavin McLean, with Kynan Gentry Illustrations: Eric Heath ISBN: 978-0-947506-66-7 RRP: $59.99 Specs: 280 x 215 mm portrait, jacketed HB, 264 pp, b&w with 16-pp colour Published: 11 November 2019 The Book: Shipwrecks litter the coasts and reefs of New Zealand. Disasters at sea are no longer the regular occurrence that led to drowning being known as ‘the New Zealand death’, yet recent wrecks like the Rena show that perils persist. This keenly priced, jacketed hardback retells the voyages of ships doomed never to make their next port. It features plentiful photos and ephemera — including two colour sections showcasing the superb illustrations of notable ships lost to the sea, by renowned artist Eric Heath. Before his untimely death Gavin McLean had been revising his previous histories of New Zealand maritime disasters for this new project. Completed by historian Kynan Gentry, Shipwrecked will be the definitive history of the subject for years to come. -
Title: Pioneer Women Series: The NZ Series Editor: Sarah Ell ISBN: 978-0-947506-59-9 RRP: $29.99 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, PB, 100 pp, 2 colour Published: 10 July 2019 For Teacher Resource: click here The Book: Get ready for a new take on New Zealand society, history and geography in one of the first two books in The NZ Series, a snappily designed and fact-packed collection for intermediate and high-school age readers. This fascinating collection of writings and reflections by some of the pioneer women who came to New Zealand in the nineteenth century reveals the challenges they faced and overcame when they arrived in their new country. Pioneer Women presents extracts from diaries and letters by women who emigrated to New Zealand from Europe in the nineteenth century. These tales of hardship and happiness are accompanied by portraits, newspaper clippings, and markers like the Women’s Suffrage Petition, creating an easily digested record of these adventurous pioneers. -
Title: Le Quesnoy 1918: New Zealand's Last Battle Author: Christopher Pugsley ISBN: 978-0-947506-49-0 RRP: $39.99 Specs: 297 x 210 mm portrait, PB, 168 pp (b&w with 8-pp colour) Publishing: 25 October 2018 UPDATED EDITION PUBLISHED 18 March 2020 REPRINTED WITH UPDATES 20 November 2022 The Book: The New Zealand Division’s capture of the French town of Le Quesnoy was its last and most successful action in the First World War. Breaking through defensive lines and scaling the town walls by ladder, the New Zealanders overwhelmed the defenders, freeing the town after years of German occupation.It was a victory that resounded around the world, and helped convince German high command they could no longer hold the front. Based on his intimate knowledge of the landscape and those involved, Dr Christopher Pugsley puts together the story with his mastery of drama and detail — producing a book that is thrilling at the same time as a tribute to the New Zealanders who died (and whose details are fully recorded here for the first time).
Updated with additional information received from descendants since the first publication in October 2018, and with a new red cover to match, Le Quesnoy 1918 is an inspiring read of relevance to all New Zealanders.
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Title: The Guinea Pig Club Archibald McIndoe and the RAF in World War II Author: Emily Mayhew Forewords by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH Prince Harry ISBN: 978-1-784383-21-3 RRP: $45 Specs: 234 x 156 mm portrait, PB, 240 pp, black & white Publishing: 14 August 2018 The Book: “Mayhew is to be commended on an outstanding addition to expanding our knowledge …” Airforce Magazine Plastic surgery was in its infancy before the Second World War. The Allies were tremendously fortunate in having the New Zealand surgeon Archibald McIndoe operating at a small hospital in East Grinstead in the south of England. McIndoe set up a revolutionary treatment regime for survivors of plane crashes. He secured his group of patients — dubbed the Guinea Pig Club — an honoured place in society as heroes of the air war. For the first time official records have been used to explore this remarkable relationship between the Guinea Pig Club, the RAF and the Home Front. This New Zealand/UK/Canada co-edition includes new material on McIndoe’s early life in Dunedin, and a foreword by HRH Prince Harry, and links to a major new film. -
Title: Seek and Destroy: The History of 3 Squadron RNZAF Author: Paul Harrison ISBN: 978-0-947506-45-2 RRP: $90 Specs: 260 x 200 mm portrait, HB, 388 pp (52 pp colour) Published: 5 April 2018 The Book: In 2015 No.3 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force celebrated 50 years of continuous helicopter operations since it reformed in 1965. Seek and Destroy is the official history of the machines and personnel that make up the colourful and wide-ranging operations of this unique squadron, which was first formed in 1930 and whose aircraft and personnel have seen service all around the world from the UK to Asia, the Pacific and the Antarctic. Comprising 388 pages, including 265 black & white photos and maps, and 94 colour plates, this illustrated hardback brings together anecdotal stories of the operations and exercises conducted during the past 50 years, taking in numerous civil defence and peacekeeping activities. -
Title: Heke Tangata: Māori in Markets and Cities Author: Brian Easton ISBN: 978-0-947506-43-8 RRP: $29.99 Specs: 234 x 153 mm portrait, PB, 130 pp, b&w Publishing: 15 May 2018 The Book: Heke Tangata can broadly be translated as ‘migration of the people’, and in this book economist Brian Easton tracks the major relocations Māori have made into the cities and market economy since 1945. The book’s first part provides a narrative of the post-war Māori experience while the second part gives the statistical basis, covering areas including criminal justice, demography, education, employment, health, housing, incomes and wealth. The picture that emerges is stark: Māori remain a generation behind Pākehā in economic well-being. Commissioned by Te Whānau o Waipareira, Heke Tangata is a concise, clear overview for policy discussion and general understanding of Māori economic participation in contemporary Aotearoa/New Zealand. -
Title: Urban Māori: The Second Great Migration Author: Bradford Haami ISBN: 978-0-947506-28-5 RRP: $39.99 Specs: 234 x 153 mm portrait, PB, 304 pp, b&w Publishing: 1 February 2018 The Book: The post-1945 migration to the cities by Māori transformed Aotearoa New Zealand forever. Before the Second World War 90% of Māori lived in rural tribal communities; by the mid-1970s almost 80% lived in the cities —perhaps the fastest movement of any population from traditional homelands to the cities. Economic opportunity improved the lot of many but created huge disruption and challenges, making this a story of expectation, need, loss, isolation and revival. Exploring what being Māori means today, Bradford Haami looks back to the experience of the first migrants, and traces the development of an urban Māori identity over the following years. Commissioned by Te Whānau o Waipareira, Urban Māori intersperses first-person accounts of migrants with readable history and numerous photos, covering the full spectrum of the migration experience — including ground-breaking accounts of urban marae, social deprivation, trade training schemes and the Māori experience in Australia. -
Title: The Camera in the Crowd: Filming New Zealand in Peace and War, 1895–1920 Author: Christopher Pugsley Foreword: Sir Peter Jackson ISBN: 978-0-947506-34-6 RRP: $85 Specs: 270 x 215 mm portrait, HB, 480 pp, b&w with colour sections Publishing: 29 November 2017 The Book: 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. This attractive hardback brings to fruition years of original research and archival work by esteemed historian Christopher Pugsley, who was brought in by the then New Zealand Film Archive in the early 1990s to catalogue our earliest film — and uncovered a treasure trove in the process. Told with Pugsley’s brilliant and engaging style, The Camera in the Crowd features over 350 photos and illustrations — many of them precisely tied to early filming through website links. -
Title: The New Zealand Experience at Gallipoli and the Western Front Author: Matthew Wright ISBN: 978-0-947506-19-3 RRP: $49.99 Specs: 240 x 170 mm portrait, PB with flaps, 392 pp, black & white Publishing: 6 April 2017 The Book: In The New Zealand Experience at Gallipoli and the Western Front, historian Matthew Wright goes to the heart of how the First World War affected the lives of ordinary New Zealanders. The book analyses what it was like for New Zealand soldiers at the two main battle fronts where they fought, and frames it with the social effects back home. Beginning with an outline of pre-war New Zealand society, Wright portrays the extraordinary world of war into which its young men plunged as they entered the baptism of fire at Gallipoli. The end of innocence that the withdrawal from the Dardanelles implied led to a harder, more fatalistic approach in the theatre of mechanised death that was the Western Front. By war’s end, hope and glory had faded, replaced by a new view of military heroism – in a country forever changed. -
The Anzac Experience New Zealand, Australia and Empire in the First World War Author: Christopher Pugsley ISBN: 978-0-947506-00-1 RRP: $49.99 Specs: 240 x 170 mm portrait, PB, 356 pp, b&w, 60 photos Publishing: 1 April 2025 ‘One of the best works of Australasian military history I have ever read.’ Allan Converse, The Journal of Military History This gripping book captures the evolution by trial and error of the New Zealand Army, alongside those of Australia and Canada, from the Boer War in South Africa to involvement in the First World War. It tells the story of citizen soldiers becoming professional as they learned the lessons of the Gallipoli landings and applied these to the Western Front – earning them the status of the fighting elite in the British armies in France. Richly illustrated with historical photographs and maps, The Anzac Experience blends social analysis and military history in a compelling combination. In its research and writing, Christopher Pugsley walked every New Zealand battlefield on Gallipoli and the Western Front. -
Title: Gallipoli The New Zealand Story Author: Christopher Pugsley ISBN: 978-0-947506-07-0 RRP: $49.99 Specs: 240 x 170 mm portrait, PB + flaps, 400 pp, b&w Published: October 2014 SIXTH REVISED EDITION OUT ON 8 APRIL 2022 The Book: The definitive account of New Zealand’s role in the disastrous 1915 Gallipoli campaign, when a British-led expeditionary force met the Turkish army in an attempt to wrest control of the Dardanelles, comes alive in an updated edition, liberally illustrated and brilliantly analysed by the doyen of Kiwi military historians.This sixth edition builds on a revision of New Zealand troop numbers at Gallipoli to reassess the campaign, with extensive updates and a new preface. It shows us Gallipoli through the eyes of those who fought there — in their letters and diaries, illustrated with an abundance of original photos.
Gallipoli does justice to the reality of this epic campaign, and deserves a place on the shelves of any history enthusiast.
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Title: The Last Maopo Author: Tania Simpson ISBN: 978-1-877514-66-1 RRP: $37.99 Specs: 240 x 170 mm portrait, PB + flaps, 160 pp, b&w Published: April 2014 The Book: The moving story of Wiremu Maopo, the last of his line in a large South Island family, who joined the second Māori Contingent and went off to fight in the First World War. Wiremu writes regularly to his friend Virgie, and the story of Wiremu’s life is woven around 40 letters that he penned during the war. All of Wiremu’s siblings died of illness either in childhood or later in life and when he returns from the war ironically he is the only surviving member of the once large family. Wiremu was unaware during and after the war that his girlfriend Phoebe had given birth to a daughter who would carry on his line. The Last Maopo also follows Phoebe’s story and reconnects the Maopo line with the author, Wiremu’s great-granddaughter. Praise for The Last Maopo 'This is not only a moving personal story but also one of very few books to tell the experience of the First World War first-hand from a Māori viewpoint.' – Christopher Pugsley, military historian 'The Last Maopo is a lovely piece of work. I recall memories of the Maopo whānau being shared around Taumutu back in the 1960s; Tania Simpson's book brings the story of Wiremu Maopo back to life for new generations.' – Sir Tipene O'Regan -
Title: The Musket Wars A History of Inter-Iwi Conflict 1806–1845 Author: Ron Crosby ISBN: 978-0-947506-29-2 RRP: $75 Specs: 240 x 160 mm portrait, flexibind, 432 pp (32 pp colour) Published: October 2012 The Book: First published in 1999, with an introduction by Michael King, The Musket Wars established Ron Crosby’s reputation as a daring, original chronicler of New Zealand history. This best-selling history provides the first comprehensive account of the wars that ravaged the country in the early 1800s, when iwi with newly acquired muskets unleashed terrible utu (revenge) on foes, helped by other introductions like potatoes that fuelled long-range taua (war parties). Ron Crosby weaves the strands of this conflict into an immensely readable narrative, guiding the reader through its complexities with lists of protagonists, a chronology, indexes and above all, superb maps and illustrations. This volume reproduces the revised 2001 edition with significant updates. -
Title: Te Hokowhitu a Tu The Maori Pioneer Battalion in the First World War Author: Christopher Pugsley ISBN: 978-0-947506-38-4 RRP: $39.99 Specs: 297 x 210 mm (A4) portrait, PB, 148 pp, b&w Published: April 2015; Reprinted 20 March 2018 The Book: Maori soldiers signing up for the First World War representing a formidable fighting force – Te Hokowhitu a Tu, or the Seventy twice-told warriors of the war god, Tumatauenga. Paternalistic concern kept the Maori Pioneer Battalion kept most back from the front lines as support troops, but their war efforts won them rights as full citizens of their homelands. Drawing on rare archival material and previously unpublished diaries and letters, Te Hokowhitu a Tu is the authoritative account of Maori and Pacific Islanders in the First World War, and balances the wider story of the Pioneer Battalion’s exploits with a portrait of daily life for soldiers who laboured not only against the enemy but also racism behind their own lines. -
Title: Polynesian Navigation and the Discovery of New Zealand Author: Jeff Evans ISBN: 978-0-947506-40-7 RRP: $39.99 Specs: 245 x 175 mm portrait, PB, 128 pp, b&w with photos & maps Published by Oratia Books: April 2017 The Book: The Polynesian navigator Kupe is credited with the discovery of the land his expedition named Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud. How did he and the many canoes that followed find their way without modern navigational techniques through perilous seas in wooden canoes? By examining myth, star charts and contemporary Polynesian seafaring, Jeff Evans traces the methods by which the early explorers made their epic voyages in Part One. The book’s second part travels with Maori canoe expert Matahi Brightwell and navigator Frances Cowan aboard the traditional canoe Hawaiki-nui following traditional navigation – with no modern aids – on its historic voyage from Tahiti down to New Zealand.E-book available from
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Title: Titirangi Fringe of Heaven Author: Marc Bonny ISBN: 978-1-877514-13-5 RRP: $49.99 Specs: 248 x 192 mm portrait, trade paperback + flaps, 276 pp (includes 4 x 8 pp colour sections) Published: April 2011 The Book: Titirangi, probably Auckland’s most beautiful suburb and on the edge of the dramatic Waitakere Ranges, is truly the ‘fringe of heaven’. This richly illustrated book, compiled over many years by the West Auckland Historical Society, tracks the area’s evolution from successive Maori settlements, the first European arrivals, forest clearings and the beginnings of Titirangi village through to the post-war era when artists and writers began gravitating to the community as its regenerating forest reached for the sky. Titirangi: Fringe of Heaven collects specialist accounts of Maori history, prominent settlers, architecture, the arts and the environment with personal recollections of Titirangi life. A must for anyone with a connection to this beautiful area or with an interest in the arts and environment. -
The Iron-Bound Coast Karekare in the Early Years Author: Wallace Badham Editor: Bob Harvey ISBN: 978-1-877514-01-2 RRP: $25.00 Specs: 240 x 215 mm portrait, HB, 200 pp, b&w, 215 images Published: September 2009 The Book: The Iron-Bound Coast is a publishing gem, discovered by Bob Harvey while researching the history of Auckland’s spectacular west coast. Prepared from the late Wally Badham’s manuscripts, the book records the early years of Karekare and neighbouring farming and logging settlements, at a time when car and air travel were starting to end the isolation of these stunning locations. Badham spins captivating yarns about the people and events of the first half of the twentieth century; with over 200 photos, many never-before published, this is a book to read and admire.