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  • Rere Atu Taku Poi!/Let My Poi Fly!

    $22.99
    Title: Rere Atu Taku Poi! Let My Poi Fly! Author: Tangaroa Paul Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbs ISBN: 978-1-99-004248-5 RRP: $22.99 Specs:  PB, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pp, colour Publishing: 8 February 2024 For Teacher Resource: click here
    Written in te reo Māori and translated by the author, Rere Atu Taku Poi! is a beautifully illustrated story about gender fluidity in a school setting. Rangi loves doing haka but performing poi is his favourite — even though his classmates say it’s just for girls. When the lead poi performer falls sick before a school performance, Rangi has to take her place. How will the other students and audience react – ‘Surely a boy can’t lead the poi?’
    As Rangi steps on stage, the familiar movements of poi take him from scared and unsure to standing as his authentic self.
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    Rona Moon

    $22.99
    Title: Rona Moon Author: Tim Tipene Illustrator: Theresa Reihana Translator: Stephanie Huriana Fong ISBN: 978-1-99-004233-1 RRP: $22.99 Specs: 270 x 210 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Paperback edition publishing: 17 November 2022 (Hardback edition originally published: 16 September 2020) The Book: ‘Everything looks so small from up here,’ said Rona. ‘I know,’ Whaea beamed. ‘Even the reasons we felt angry seem so little’ The beloved myth of Rona and the Moon comes to 21st-century Aotearoa in English and Māori in Tim Tipene’s sensitive telling, strikingly illustrated by Tai Tokerau artist Theresa Reihana. Rona Moon gets angry with everyone — her brother, her Nana and Papa — and then one night she calls the moon stupid! Taken to meet her ancestor Whaea Rona on the moon, she learns a lesson in how to control her temper. Published originally in hardback in 2020 and reprinted soon after, Rona Moon/Ko Rona Māhina is now available in a quality paperback edition.
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    Sea Edge

    $75.00
    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.
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  • Seek and Destroy

    $90.00
    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.
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    Seven Lives on Salt River

    $39.99
    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.
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  • Shipwrecked: New Zealand maritime disasters

    $59.99
    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.
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  • Sir Singlet

    $21.00
    Title: Sir Singlet Author: Dawn McMillan Illustrator: Ross Kinnaird ISBN: 978-0-947506-75-9 RRP: $21.00 Specs: 230 x 215 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Published: 2 October 2020 For orders from outside New Zealand, email: sales@oratia.co.nz The latest collaboration from author Dawn McMillan and illustrator Ross Kinnaird Sir Singlet brings their zany rhyms and illustrations to a colourful story of a knight who can’t stand the sloppy underwear he wears under his armour. Narrated by his nephew, Sir Singlet celebrates special talents: Sir Singlet is clever with needle and thread. See all the cushions he’s made for his bed? Sir Singlet’s solution to his problem is to design his own line of comfortable, and colourful ‘knightwear’. But before he can launch the product, the king gets in the way by declaring war. Wearing his new undergarments, Sir Singlet wins the battle, not using hand-to-hand combat — but by scaring his enemies away when he displays his wonderful wearable creations. The king is so pleased that he … well, you’ll have to read the story to find out how it all ends up!
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  • Snowy the Doganaut

    $14.99
    Title: Snowy the Doganaut Author: Diego Albuquerque ISBN: 978-1-877514-62-3 RRP: $14.99 Specs: 200 x 200 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Published: June 2014 The Book: Snowy is a dog with a difference – an alien canine, with ears where he should have eyes, and eyes in the back of his head. Can a kindly veterinarian make him normal, even if he has to travel to Pluto to do it? This is the first English translation of a classic in its native Brazil, where author Diego Albuquerque wrote it as a child. Viva Snowy!
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  • Squeakopotamus

    $21.00
    Title: Squeakopotamus Author: Dawn McMillan Illustrator: Ross Kinnaird ISBN: 978-0-947506-11-7 RRP: $21.00 Specs: 230 x 215 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Publishing: 6 October 2016 The Book: Is he a hippo that looks like a mouse? Or, is he a mouse too big for this house? Just who or what is Squeakopotamus? And how will the kids, Mum and Dad keep him fed? No one yet has ever had a pet like the astonishing, demolishing Squeakopotamus! A memorable tale for younger readers, Squeakopotamus crosses hippo-sized fun and zany illustrations with mouse-proud rhyme, rhythm and a happy ending.
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  • Takitimu

    $85.00
    Takitimu A History of Ngati Kahungunu Author: J.H. Mitchell ISBN: 978-0-947506-21-6 RRP: $85.00 Specs: 240 x 150 mm portrait, HB, 312 pp, b&w with photo and whakapapa sections Published: October 2014 The Book: Takitimu is one of the great tribal histories in the New Zealand literary canon. It tells of the Ngati Kahungunu people – tangata whenua of Hawke’s Bay and parts of East Coast and Wairarapa – from their origins in the Pacific Islands to their lineage in Aotearoa up to the twentieth century. It is divided into four main sections: the history up to the departure of Takitimu and other canoes of migration; the history of Ngati Kahungunu; short biographies of Sir James Carroll, Sir Maui Pomare and the Rev. Tamihana Huata; and appendices describing charms, proverbs, the interpretation of dreams and signs, and the Maori almanac. Complete with genealogical tables, this is a book of great value for history enthusiasts and especially the people of Ngati Kahungunu – the third largest Maori tribe, with descendants throughout New Zealand and Australia.
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  • Te Ahi Kā

    $65.00
    Title: Te Ahi Kā: The Fires of Occupation Author: Martin Toft ISBN: 978-1-911306-38-2 Imprint: Dewi Lewis Publishing; distributed in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific by Oratia Books RRP: $65.00 Specs: 205 x 165 mm portrait, HB, 200 pp colour; alternate female (green, fern) and male (yellow, ember) covers Publishing: 5 December 2018 The Book: Danish photographer Martin Toft spent six months living among iwi deep in the Whanganui River lands in the mid-1990s. They honoured him with the Māori name Pouma Pokai-whenua. By returning 20 years later, again with his camera, Toft completed part of a promise to the iwi, and publishing this book fulfils the rest of that pledge. Te Ahi Kā: The Fires of Occupation  explores in photographs, archives and interviews some of the key political, environmental and cultural issues for the iwi as it has sought return of its historical lands at Mangapapapa. This sumptuous hardback production, with fold-out pages, fine binding and alternate female (fern) and male (embers) cover designs, is now featuring in photo book festivals worldwide. Te Ahi Kā evokes the physical and metaphysical relationship between a river and its ancestors, between Māori and the author. It aims to leave a legacy for future guardians of the Whanganui, and to share the aspirations and desires of this unique community.
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  • Te Ara

    $22.99
    Te Ara Māori Pathways: Past, Present, Future Author: Krzysztof Pfeiffer & Paul Tapsell ISBN: 978-0-947506-02-5 RRP: $22.99 Specs: Paperback, 210 x 297 mm landscape, 32 pp, full colour Published: May 2016 The Book: From one of the leading Māori scholars of his generation and one of our greatest photographers comes this beautifully illustrated work that serves as a fine overview of leadership and challenges for Māori today. This trilingual publication in English, Māori and German will be of value for general readers, visitors and students. After a general introduction to Māori history, Te Ara focuses on the stories of iwi in five regions Hokianga, Peowhairangi (Bay of Islands) Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Waiariki (Rotorua-Taupo) and Murihiku (Otago-Southland). Edition also available in Musqueam (Vancouver First Nations language), ISBN 978-1-877514-60-9.
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  • Te Arawa

    $98.00
    Title: Te Arawa: A History of the Arawa People Author: Don Stafford ISBN: 978-0-947506-10-0 RRP: $98.00 Specs: HB, 240 x 150 mm portrait, 616 pp, 12 b&w photo sections, deluxe jacket Publishing: 25 August 2016 The Book: Te Arawa is the major work by one of the leading historians of pre-European New Zealand, the late Don Stafford. The book tells the complete history of the Te Arawa waka and its descendants until the late nineteenth century. This relates the iwi’s origins in the South Pacific; migration and settlement in Aotearoa; the exploits of ancestors including Tamatekapua, Ihenga, Hatupatu, Tutanekai and Wahiao; development and relations among the Arawa confederation; the arrival of Europeans; Te Arawa’s participation in Māori–Pākehā warfare; and the campaigns involving Te Kooti. Te Arawa was and remains a monumental work of research and writing, and as a 616-page hardback is also an impressive physical artefact. This handsome hardback edition includes photographic pages on glossy paper and extensive whakapapa (genealogies).
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  • Te Hokowhitu a Tu

    $39.99
    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.
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  • Te Kooti’s Last Foray

    $49.99
    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 here

    On 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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  • Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia

    $22.99
    Title: Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia Author: Tim Tipene Illustrator: Nicoletta Benella Translator: Kanapu Rangitauira ISBN: 978-1-99-004247-8 RRP: $22.99 Specs:  PB, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pp, colour Published: 1 September 2023 For Teacher Resource: click here
    He uaua te pānui pukapuka mā ētahi tāngata — he uaua mā te tamai roto i tēnei pukapuka. Engari, arā ētahi pukapuka ka tohua kia pānuihia e koe, mea rawa ake ka puare mai he ao whakamīharo i roto i ngā whārangi.
    Ko Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia tētahi o aua pukapuka. Pūtake mai ai i ōna wheako, ka whakaahuatia e te kaituhi whiwhi tohu, e Tim Tipene ētahi o ngā uauatanga i ngā wā he uaua te pānui, he whakamōhio atu ki ngā tamariki e taea ana aua uauatanga te eke panuku. The boy who narrates this story doesn’t like reading, until one day in the school library he picks up Te Pukapuka ka kore e Pānuihia. Suddenly the book takes on a life of its own – and before he knows it, he’s finished the book. ‘What should I read next?’
    Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia takes the viewpoint of children who have reading struggles, with design guided by educators for appeal to reluctant or even dyslexic readers This inspirational story is available in Māori (in this paperback edition) as well as in English (hardback).
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  • Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour

    $45.00
    Title: Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour Author: Hona Black ISBN: 978-1-99-004237-9 RRP: $45.00 Specs: PB, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 308 pp, b&w Published: 1 September 2023

    Following on from the successful He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes, Hona Black's new book explores the rich vein of humour in Māori life.

    Want to know how to call a silly person a ‘roro hipi / sheep’s brain’, or tell someone to get stuffed in te reo Māori? The answers are all in Te Reo Kapekape (literally, ‘the language of poking fun’), with more than 130 humorous and unique phrases in te reo and English that can be used to describe people, events and actions.

    The sayings are divided into four chapters — above the hip, below the hip, other phrases, and idioms. Using a cast of characters and dramatised dialogue, Hona explains each phrase and gives examples and suggestions for use — whether to tease, crack a joke or just add some flair to your daily use.

    This book is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to spice up their te reo or English with some fun and cheeky sayings, and will appeal to both language learners and fluent speakers of Māori.

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    Te Reo Māori: The Basics Explained

    $34.99
    Title: Te Reo Māori: The Basics Explained Author: David Kārena-Holmes ISBN: 978-0-947506-69-8 RRP: $34.99 Specs: 210 x 148 mm portrait, PB, 168 pp, b&w Published: 5 February 2020 The Book: The use of te reo Māori in daily New Zealand life is snowballing, as is demand for resources to make learning the language efficient and enjoyable. This book helps answer that demand. Here in simple terms is a thorough guide to the building blocks of grammar in te reo, showing how to create phrases, sentences and paragraphs. After an introductory chapter on pronunciation and written forms of the language, 17 chapters introduce the main base words, particles and determiners that guide their use. The book employs real-life examples to illustrate how Māori grammar works day to day. Te Reo Māori: The Basics Explained draws on David Karena-Holmes’ decades of experience teaching and writing about Māori language. Building on his previous works, this updated and expanded approach will be an essential companion for speakers at any level.
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    Te Toi Whakairo

    $49.99
    Title: Te Toi Whakairo The Art of Maori Carving Author: Hirini Moko Mead ISBN: 978-0-947506-37-7 RRP: $49.99 Specs: 242 x 182 mm portrait, PB, 276 pp, b&w Published: September 2015 The Book: Woodcarving is one of the supreme expressions of New Zealand identity. Beginning with carving’s mythical origins, Te Toi Whakairo explores the evolution of styles and techniques through the four main artistic periods to the present day, and provides detailed explanations of carving styles in different parts of the country, using examples from meeting houses and leading artists. Later chapters delve into the main structures, forms and motifs, and the role of the woodcarver, and explore the status of the art in contemporary New Zealand. Practical guidance is given for use of materials, tools, techniques, surface and background decoration, the human figure, and carving poupou.
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  • Te Toki me te Whao

    $45.00
    Title: Te Toki me te Whao Author: Clive Fugill ISBN: 978-0-947506-13-1 RRP: $45 Specs: 250 x 185 mm portrait, PB, 152 pp, colour Publishing: 11 November 2016 The Book: Te Toki me te Whao is the first book by one of New Zealand’s most esteemed experts in wood carving – and the first dedicated to Maori tool technology since Elsdon Best’s Stone Implements of the Maori (1912). Building on a lifetime of study and experience, Clive Fugill provides a complete historical record as well as a practical guide in the use of Maori tools and technology. The book traces the mythical origins of wood carving and stone implements in the Pacific, location and use of materials in New Zealand, the manufacture of tools, and how to use them in making works in wood, stone and bone. Illustrated with over 80 of Clive’s drawings, the book also features colour photos by Chris Hoult.
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  • Te Whatu Tāniko

    $45.00
    Title: Te Whatu Tāniko — Tāniko Weaving: Technique and Tradition Author: Hirini Moko Mead ISBN: 978-0-947506-61-2 RRP: $45.00 Specs: 250 x 185 mm, PB, 136 pp b&w Published: 15 August 2019 Tāniko weaving is one of the supreme expressions of Māori art. Weaving and dyeing the fibres of native flax creates elaborate, beautiful patterns that are used to adorn clothing, with distinctive styles that have evolved over centuries of creativity.

    This has been the standard work on the subject since its first publication as Taniko Weaving in 1952. Since rewritten and updated, Te Whatu Tāniko provides the history and social context for weaving, as well as clear, practical guidelines for making tāniko.

    Using the book’s clear and concise graphs and drawings, readers can utilise this book to weave the beautiful patterns within. The instructions can be used as a beginner’s guide or a refresher resource, or simply to enjoy and admire this beautiful artform.

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  • The Anzac Experience

    $49.99
    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.
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  • The Battlecruiser New Zealand

    $59.99
    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 STOCK
    In 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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  • The Book that Wouldn’t Read

    $25.99
    Title: The Book that Wouldn’t Read Author: Tim Tipene Illustrator: Nicoletta Benella ISBN: 978-1-99-004231-7 RRP: $25.99 Specs:  HB, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pp, colour Published: 1 September 2023 For Teacher Resource: click here

    The boy at the centre of Tim Tipene’s striking new story doesn’t like reading, until one day in the school library he picks up The Book that Wouldn’t Read. Suddenly the book takes on a life of its own — with sentences moving up and down, words changing colour and disappearing, and strange fonts and characters that get the reader jumping around, even burping. His appeals to the teacher and friends get hushed because ‘it’s reading time,’ and before he knows it, he’s finished the book. ‘What should I read next?’

    The Book that Wouldn't Read takes the viewpoint of children who have reading struggles, with design guided by educators for appeal to reluctant or even dyslexic readers

    This inspirational story is available in English (in this hardback edition) as well as in Māori (paperback).

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  • The Camera in the Crowd

    $85.00
    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.
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  • The Castle in our Backyard

    $22.99
    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.
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  • The Ever-Standing Tree/Te Rākau Tū Tonu

    $22.99
    The Ever-Standing Tree Te Rākau Tū Tonu Author: Tim Tipene Illustrator: Ani Huia Ligaliga Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira ISBN: 978-1-99-004260-7 RRP: $22.99 Specs: 270 x 210 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Publishing: 2 September 2024 For Teacher Resource: click here
    Over the protests of his kids, Dad cuts down a tree to get ‘a better view’ — only for a chorus of birds and insects to put it back together overnight. The battle of wills between the blade and nature goes on until Dad finally sees the light and comes to love the tree. Told in Māori and English, this lovingly illustrated story resets the beloved myth of Rātā and the Tree in a modern setting, encouraging readers to consider traditions, tikanga and respect for nature. The Ever-standing Tree/Te Rākau Tū Tonu follows on from Tim Tipene’s successful picture books Māui – Sun Catcher/Te Kaihao i te Rā and Rona Moon/Ko Rona Māhina, both Storylines Notable Book Award winners.
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  • The Forgotten Wars

    $45.00
    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.
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    The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street/Ngā Kuia o te Tiriti o Pikitea

    $22.99
    Title: The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street Ngā Kuia o te Tiriti o Pikitea Author: Renisa Viraj Maki Illustrator: Nikki Slade Robinson Māori translation by Kanapu Rangitauira ISBN: 978-1-99-004217-1 RRP: $22.99 Specs:  PB, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pp, colour Published: 8 September 2022 For Teacher Resource: click here Scents of lemongrass, garam masala, baking and smoked meat drifted down the street as the children’s grandmothers made food for their lunchboxes. Māori, Ethiopian, Samoan, NZ European, Indian and Chinese grandmothers share traditional stories and recipes with their grandkids as they get ready for bed — explaining how the food will benefit the kids at school the next day. The grandmothers aren’t cooking only for the children. They are also making dishes for their monthly gathering at one of their homes, where they continue to share their traditional dishes and stories, crossing cultural boundaries. Renisa Maki tells a beautiful story of connection between cultures, and nanas and grandchildren, sumptuously illustrated and with a fine te reo translation. Winner of a Storylines Notable Book Award 2022, Picture Books category
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  • The Guinea Pig Club

    $45.00
    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.
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  • The Iron-Bound Coast

    $25.00
    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.
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  • The Last Maopo

    $37.99
    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
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  • The Longdrop

    $21.00
    Title: The Longdrop Author: Joan Joass Illustrator: Bob Darroch ISBN: 978-0-947506-71-1 RRP: $21.00 Specs: 230 x 215 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour Published: 16 June 2020 For Teacher Resource: Click here  For orders from outside New Zealand, email: sales@oratia.co.nz

    Here’s a fantastic tale for kids about the classic Kiwi holiday that includes a caravan, a beach and the sometimes-smelly toilet shed out the back of the holiday section — the longdrop.

    The kids need to go, and the public loo is sooo far away from their caravan. So, Dad builds a longdrop! When the paper builds to capacity Dad thinks and thinks and solves his problem — with a match ...

    Based on a true story (Joan’s husband is ‘Dad’), this fun rhyming story celebrates the hilarious situations that arise from the Kiwi ‘she’ll be right’ approach to life. Bob Darroch’s jam-packed illustrations perfectly depict New Zealand holiday time.

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  • The Musket Wars

    $75.00
    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.
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  • The New Zealand Experience at Gallipoli and the Western Front

    $49.99
    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.
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  • The NZ Series: First Encounters

    $29.99
    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.
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