Authors: Lucy Hammonds , Lauren Gutsell , Bridget Reweti Reviewer: Peter Simpson

Marilynn Webb: Folded in the hills is a substantial bilingual publication to mark the monumental retrospective of Ngapuhi, Te Roroa and Ngati Kahu artist Marilynn Webb (NZOM) (1937-2021) at Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

Nov 2023 release

Author: Keith Newman Publisher: Oratia Media

The Ratana movement gains national coverage every February as politicians make the pilgrimage to its headquarters near Whanganui, yet the history and workings of the religion are less widely recognised. In this new edition of his standard biography, Keith Newman reveals the life and times of Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana and the movement he founded in 1918, tracing its activities and influence up to the present-day community of some 50,000 followers.

Released: 7 May 2024

Author: Gregory Hill Publisher: Exisle Publishing

89 days of travel, 33 trains, 19 countries … read an extract from the Central Russian segment of Gregory Hill’s epic rail journey.

Released: 1 May 2024

Author: Miriam Sharland Publisher: Otago University Press

In early 2020 Sharland was nearing the end of a 17-year adventure in Aotearoa. A desire to return to family and the familiar was pulling her back to her homeland, England. When Covid put an end to her travel plans, she found herself facing isolation in Manawatu instead.

Released: 22 April 2024

Author: Pippa Latour with Jude Dobson Publisher: Allen and Unwin

This is the astounding true story of one of the last female special operations agents in France to get out alive after its liberation in WWII.
Born in 1921, Pippa Latour became a covert special operations agent who parachuted into a field in Nazi-occupied Normandy.

Released: 23 April 2024

Author: Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku Publisher: HarperCollins New Zealand

‘In the 1950s, a young Ngahuia is fostered by a family who believe in hard work and community. Although close to her kuia, she craves more: she wants higher education and refined living. But whanau dismiss her dreams. To them, she is just a show-off, always getting into trouble, talking back and running away…’

Released: 17 April

Editors: Catherine Hammond, Shaun Higgins Reviewer: David Veart

In 1848, two decades after a French inventor mixed daylight with a cocktail of chemicals to fix the view outside his window onto a metal plate, photography arrived in Aotearoa. How did these 'portraits in a machine' reveal Maori and Pakeha to themselves and to each other? Were the first photographs 'a good likeness' or were they tricksters? What stories do they capture of the changing landscape of Aotearoa?

April 2024 release

Author: Peter Simpson Reviewer: Graham Hill

‘This substantial book of letters selected by esteemed Colin McCahon scholar Peter Simpson shines a light on one of the most remarkable relationships in New Zealand art. The painter Colin McCahon and the librarian Ron O'Reilly first met in 1938, in Dunedin, when McCahon was 19 and O'Reilly 24. They remained close, writing regularly to each other until 1981…’

April 2024 release

Author: Madeleine and Rosie Redding Publisher: Mary Egan Publishing

‘Rosie is a shy young teenager when she starts experimenting with alcohol. When Rosie's parents finally realise that their beloved daughter is having problems with her drinking, Rosie is firmly in the grip of alcoholism…’

Released: 11 March

Author: Ashia Ismail-Singer

A cookbook for the ultimate entertainer. Try your hand at this baklava cheesecake, a Middle Eastern-inspired treat, perfect for any celebration.

April 2024 release

Authors: Rebecca Rice, Matiu Baker, Katie Cooper, Michael Fitzgerald Reviewer: David Veart

This selection transcends its colonial origins literally in 'The Colonial Museum' creating a powerful narrative using the artefacts woven together with subtle curation and a strong Māori voice, a voice which doesn't simply murmur 'ghostly' echoes from the past but instead speaks truth powerfully into the present.

March 2024 release

Author: Greg Ryan. Publisher: Auckland University Press.

In this extract from Chapter 2 of Continuous Ferment: historian Greg Ryan examines Aotearoa’s early days as a beer-drinking nation, exploring the trials and tribulations of importing beer by ship as well as early home and commercial brewing efforts.

November 2023 release

Summer is a busy time in the garden for Vege Patch from Scratch author Jo McCarroll. But when she’s not picking tomatoes from the vine and leaves of lettuce from her raised beds, the editor of NZ Gardener is often leafing through books. Kete caught up with McCarroll to hear her summer reading picks, top crops and a go-to tomato salsa recipe.

Author: Jane Robertson. Reviewer: Bob Frame.

This sumptuous social and environmental history of Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour takes the reader around the harbour that separates Ōtautahi Christchurch from Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula.

October 2023 release

Author: Claire McCall

In May 2022, Kiwi journalist Claire McCall and her partner set off on an epic walking adventure to tackle a freshly minted long-distance trail called the Hexatrek in its pioneer year. The 3034km route connects the highest, most spectacular mountains and national parks in France and travels through the Vosges, the Alps, the Écrins and the Pyrenees among others.

December 2023 release

Authors: Sarah and Otis Frizzell

Brunch of champions! Try your hand at this fresh summery, full-of-flavour recipe for huevos rancheros from The Lucky Taco Cookbook.

July 2023 release

Author: Michael Van de Elzen

Is there a dish that evokes the New Zealand summer more than freshly caught fish? Try your hand at Michael Van de Elzen’s Snapper with Tomato Kasundi & Roasted Red Capsicums.

September 2023 release

Author: Roger McDonald

‘The girl came aboard the Spirit of New Zealand reluctantly, a few months after she came home from a special school. She had been sent to the school to overcome problems. The difficulties were serious. They were absolutely not her fault but they’d affected her attitude and behaviour…’

Read an extract from A Spirit Companion: Celebrating the first 50 years of the Spirit of Adventure Trust.

November 2023 release

Author: Tess Eden

Thinking about eating more plant-based foods in 2024? Start with something really delicious. Try this macadamia cranberry rocky road recipe from Tess Eden’s book Eden Vegan. Yum!

November 2023 release

Author: Anton Blank. Editor: Witi Ihimaera

‘Humans are entitled to live a life they value. I think this is the starting and end point when we consider racism towards Indigenous peoples and migrant cultures. It is the aspirational goal. I have mana, you have mana…’

Read Anton Blank’s essay ‘Indigenous migrations’ extracted from Ngā Kupu Wero.

Released August 2023