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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. -
The River in our BackyardTe Awa e Pātata Rawa AnaAuthor: Malcolm Paterson Illustrator: Martin Bailey ISBN:978-1-99-004219-5 RRP: $22.99 Specs: 284 x 208 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Published: 17 October 2022For Teacher Resource: click hereContinuing the successful series that connects kids with local heritage, in this fourth Sharing our Stories book Tui, cousin Jennifer and whānau go on a voyage of discovery into the history and nature of Auckland’s Te Atatū peninsula and the wider Waitematā Harbour. The children learn about the impact humans have had on the river and ocean, how places got their names, and how their family friends Kōmako and Kumar help to conserve nature. Everyone then joins in the fun of Diwali, attending a local market and watching their friend Rani perform in a dance. Martin Bailey’s vibrant artwork brings to life a story of connection that celebrates our shared heritage, with text in English and Māori along with words from the Tamil language. -
Title: Sea Edge: Where the Waitematā Meets Auckland Author: Bob Harvey ISBN: 978-0-947506-48-3 RRP: $75.00 Specs: 300 x 300 mm, HB, 260 pp colour Published: 19 June 2019 The Book: Since the first Polynesian voyagers made landfall in their double-hulled sailing canoes, new arrivals have continually rediscovered and redefined Auckland’s harbour. Waitematā, ‘sparkling waters’, originated as a name from a rock off Kauri Point. Settlers from Britain and other parts of Europe navigated into the Waitematā to create the ‘City of Sails’. Sea Edge: Where the Waitematā Meets Auckland is a collection of old and new stories, vignettes of the past and visions of the future, accompanied by many unpublished photographs and illustrations. It ranges widely, with 74 individual sections, each adding a fresh flavour to the story of Auckland’s vibrant, beautiful sea edge. -
The Taniwha in our Backyard Author: Malcolm Paterson Illustrator: Martin Bailey ISBN: 978-0-947506-46-9 RRP: $22.99 Specs: 284 x 208 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Publishing: 12 September 2018 For Teacher Resource: Click here The Book: Tui, his cousin Jennifer and their whānau go to the south Kaipara to visit their Uncle Rua and Auntie Mina. Exploring the area down to Muriwai, they learn about moa, kauri, Māui dolphins, kaitiakitanga (stewardship), geology and more. In the telling of their stories, a previously unknown taniwha (monster) takes centre stage! The Taniwha in our Backyard mixes English and Māori (with a smattering of Malay), profiling established and newer ethnic groups. This third book in the Sharing Our Stories series carries on the kaupapa of connecting children with the amazing environments and history around them. -
Title: Regions of New Zealand Author: Peter Dowling ISBN: 978-0-947506-35-3 RRP: $32.99 Specs: 270 x 210 mm portrait, HB, 40 pp, colour Publishing: 24 October 2017 The Book: Where are the regions of New Zealand? How did they develop? What makes them special and cool to visit? Through maps, photos, fact boxes and simple text, Regions of New Zealand takes readers on a tour from Northland to Southland, Tokelau to Antarctica – with fascinating insights into the special features, facts and characters of our distinctive regions. Each region features in a spread of the book, with a colour map showing towns and features, summary text, photos illustrating key locations and tourist destinations, fact boxes and key info. In addition are sections on Māori regional relationships, early provincial divisions, outlying territories and study links. -
Title: The Tunnel in our Backyard Author: Malcolm Paterson Illustrator: Hana Maihi ISBN: 978-0-947506-04-9 RRP: $22.99 Specs: 284 x 208 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Published: 16 June 2016 For Teacher Resource: Click here The Book: A charming picture book, The Tunnel in our Backyard brings to life for children the connection with the land around them - a land full of stories and reminders of history. Jennifer and her whanau go to Te Atatu to help her cousin Tui’s family move house to Mount Albert. What they learn from Nanny on the way about Matariki and the Waterview Tunnel leads on to a big discovery once they reach Mount Albert – that old tunnels also run under here! Under the guidance of Nanny and new neighbour Tefere, the kids relive old and more recent history and follow in the giant footsteps of the ancestor Ruarangi from Mount Albert down to Meola Reef in Point Chevalier. -
Voices from the Surf 80 Years of the Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club ISBN: 978-0-473-33052-1 RRP: $49.99 Specs: 260 x 305 mm landscape, 208 pp (120 pp colour) PB Includes DVD documentary Published: December 2015 The Book: Karekare is one of the most iconic beaches of New Zealand – and one of the most dangerous. It has been said that in its 80 years the Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club has saved over 2000 people from death by drowning in the surf – beginning with New Zealand’s first seaplane rescue in 1935, a story brilliantly retold here by Charles Hamlin. Voices from the Surf collects the voices of generations of lifeguards since, with tales of brave rescues, competition success, club camaraderie, and many reflections on the bond that the ‘clubbies’ have with the special, spiritual landscape that is Karekare. There is a lot of yarn telling and living history in this book; open it anywhere to read a ripping story. -
Title: The Castle in our Backyard Author: Malcolm Paterson Illustrator: Leah Mulgrew ISBN: 978-1-877514-05-0 RRP: $22.99 Specs: 284 x 208 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Published: July 2010 The Book: Tui and his cousin Jennifer are much too busy playing a video game to want to visit Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill. But then Nanny Marei tells them the mountain’s got giants and fortresses, just like their game! Explore Maungakiekie with Tui and Jennifer as they travel back into its history – meeting the Goddess of Fire, Māori tribes, Chinese gardeners, Sir John Logan Campbell, and the tourists of today. -
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.
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