In February 1954, an unlikely looking runner with a withered left arm shot into world reckoning as a miler. His name was Murray Halberg. Coached by Arthur Lydiard, an Auckland shoe factory foreman, Halberg went on to become an Olympic champion and world record-holder, so too did another athlete Lydiard coached, Peter Snell. Their success and that of other athletes coached by Lydiard inspired a new generation of champions through the 1970s and into the 1980s: Allison Roe, Lorraine Moller, Anne Audin, Dick Quax, Rod Dixon, Dick Tayler, and John Walker. New Zealand became known as a nation that produced great runners. Then tradition faded and almost died until a new star emerged, Nick Willis. However, apart from Willis the days of world-class runners coming consistently out of New Zealand have gone. This book explores what happened.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 384

Dimensions: 185 x 240 x 23 mm

Publication Date: 01-01-2022

This book chronicles the emergence of organised middle and long distance running in New Zealand from the time of early European settlement through to the 1950 Empire Games which were held in Auckland in 1950. It tells how professional runners dominated through to World War One and reveals the stories of runners now forgotten - John O'Connor who travelled between New Zealand and Australia competing in the 1880s, Lachie McLachlan who had he been an amateur could have been an Olympic champion in the early 1900s, and Billy Trembath, of Gore, a world professional champion just before World War One. After the war amateur athletics grew helped by the rise of the Olympic Games and the start of the British Empire Games. A Wairarapa farmworker Randolph Rose became a star of the 1920s but the greatest period of running started in 1930 with Billy Savidan winning the British Empire Games 6 miles in 1930. Then came Jack Lovelock, a medical student who became a world famous celebrity setting world records and winning the Olympic Games 1500m at Berlin. The decade ended with Cecil Matthews and Pat Boot winning British Empire titles to make middle and long distance running arguably the most successful sport internationally speaking for New Zealand during the decade. The book carries through to Harold Nelson who won the British Empire Games 6 miles in 1950. Containing more than 70 rare photos the book also explains the evolution of training methods as well as the formation of the NZAAA (now Athletics NZ) and world governing bodies while telling the stories of all the great athletes who started New Zealand's middle and long distance running tradition.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 226

Dimensions: 185 x 240 x 18 mm

Publication Date: 15-09-2020

Keeping the Party in Tune embraces twenty stories ‘for the record’, primarily about battles in the life of a union leader and Labour politician during some of the most turbulent times in New Zealand’s political and industrial history. As the MP for Porirua and later Mana, Graham Kelly was at the coalface of sweeping changes in the 1980s and ‘90s to working people’s lives. He documents the causes and consequences of neo-liberal economic policies. Other pieces capture the often-hilarious life of a musician and dance band leader. These stories are interspersed with insights from international travels as a New Zealand MP on fact-finding missions to remote countries such as Tibet and North Korea, and later as High Commissioner to Canada.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 22-08-2023

Rich and varied with a strong sense of history and change, Blackball as the hub and centre - the returning place - is so poignant and real and honest. New cultures and changes but still whanau. I loved it.’ Paddy Richardson. The novel follows three Blackball children, from the 1908 strike through to the turn of the century, as they lead diverse lives which encompass left politics,WW1, the Spanish Civil War, the Paniora, the saga of relationships, sexuality and gender, with a return to Spain to ground whakapapa and respond to new challenges. Solidarity, n. Holding together, mutual dependence, community of interests, feeling and action. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English. 'Characters are detailed, brilliant and flawed. Both passionate and dismissive.' Leigh Cookson.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 288

Dimensions: 150 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 01-06-2023

A century and a half now separate us from the founding of Canterbury College, the institution from which the University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha evolved. In ‘A New History: The University of Canterbury 1873–2023’, historian John Wilson offers a fresh interpretation of an institution that has played a central role in shaping the development of research culture and university education in Aotearoa New Zealand and that has been at the forefront of the shift to a postcolonial university world. In examining the University’s development, Wilson highlights how the institution evolved as part of the community it continues to serve, while offering city, province and Aotearoa as a whole leadership and, on occasion, challenging expectations.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 520

Dimensions: 200 x 260 mm

Publication Date: 01-12-2023

History of New Zealand and its Inhabitants is the English language translation of a lively, opinionated book by Dom Felice Vaggioli, an Italian monk who was one of the first Benedictine priests to be sent to Aotearoa NZ. While working in Auckland, the Coromandel and Gisborne during the years 1879–1887, he observed lifestyles and customs and gathered information about the country’s history, including first-hand accounts of the signing of Te Tiriti and the conflicts in Taranaki and Waikato. Back in Italy, he published his history of New Zealand in 1896, only to have most of this Italian edition destroyed by the British because Vaggioli, who was not backward in coming forward with his anti-Protestant and anti-British views, was so critical of the colonialist project. The book nearly disappeared completely, but a few copies survived. About a century later, John Crockett was doing some research in the archive of the Auckland Catholic Diocese when the archivist showed him an old book in Italian – Storia della Nuova Zelanda by Dom Felice Vaggioli. Crockett realised he was holding a unique interpretation of the impact of colonisation on Māori and set about translating the book into English. Crockett’s vivid translation of Vaggioli’s work was published by Otago University Press in 2000. Out of print for several years, that edition is hard to find and much sought-after. Now reprinted with a striking new cover, the 2023 edition of History of New Zealand and its Inhabitants brings Vaggioli’s unique document into the public eye once more. This lively and sometimes controversial account of prominent historical events in nineteenth-century Aotearoa New Zealand provides a remarkable resource for people interested in Māori–Pākehā relations or the history of colonisation.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 352

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 26-10-2023

The Living Wage means thriving, not just surviving. Lyndy McIntyre’s Power to Win tells the story of the living wage movement in Aotearoa New Zealand. The living wage movement is grounded in the fundamental belief that all New Zealanders should be paid enough to meet their needs, enjoy their lives and participate in society. Yet, from the 1980s, with the gap between rich and poor growing and poverty increasing, more and more workers could no longer afford to aspire to this quality of life. The question of how to rectify resultant social inequities was becoming urgent. In Power to Win, McIntyre documents the history of the Living Wage Movement Aotearoa New Zealand from these roots to the present day. This is the story of the movement’s efforts to lift the wages of the most disadvantaged people in our workforce – women, Māori, Pacific Peoples, migrants and refugees, and young workers. McIntyre provides a window into the lives of these workers and those committed to ending in-work poverty: the activists, faith groups, unions and community organisations who come together to tilt the axis of power from employers to low-wage workers. Power to Win is the record of an extraordinarily successful movement. It is a celebration of hope and an inspiring read. This book shows that communities have power and that change can happen.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 285

Dimensions: 150 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 04-07-2024

A paleontological site of international significance, Foulden Maar in Otago, New Zealand is home to an amazing record of life on Earth. Formed by a volcanic eruption 23 million years ago, the Maar’s undisturbed sedimentary layers are the resting places for countless rare, well-preserved fossils. The site is unsurpassed in the Southern Hemisphere as a scientific record of changing life and ecosystems at the beginning of the Miocene. In recent years, the fossil treasures of Foulden Maar have been threatened by a proposal to mine the site’s rich diatomite deposits. Local and national scientific researchers rallied to call for the protection of this unique location, sparking an international debate about the importance of the preservation of paleontological sites worldwide. In Fossil Treasures of Foulden Maar, authors Daphne Lee, Uwe Kaulfuss and John Conran share their passion and knowledge for this extraordinary spot. They tell the story of the site and reveal the paleontological discoveries that have been made to date. Their book demonstrates the educational and scientific importance of Foulden Maar, paying tribute to the scientific researchers who have helped bring Foulden Maar’s scientific marvels to the surface and who continue to fight for its preservation. Richly illustrated with beautifully detailed images, this volume captures the science, the mystery and the beauty of this astonishing place.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 216

Dimensions: 210 x 246 mm

Publication Date: 15-08-2022

Cook's Ark is a fascinating account of the animals that sailed with Captain James Cook to the South Pacific, with particular reference to New Zealand. It offers a novel insight into an aspect of Cook's voyages rarely touched on by other authors: the menagerie that travelled in uncomfortably close proximity to the men on board Endeavour and Resolution. From the tiniest mouse, poultry, cats, monkeys, goats, pigs, etc to the larger cattle and horse, the reader follows their journey with Captain Cook. Dr Sutherland's intensive research on the vermin, livestock, utility animals, pets and exotic animals that sailed with Captain Cook not only reveals a captivating glimpse into the life of animals at sea in the 18th century, but also exposes little known or understated historical facts. These include the story behind the massacre of Furneaux's men at Grass Cove, the relationship between a Maori girl and a young seaman, and for the readers interested in heritage breeds, concludes by linking animals introduced during Cook's voyages to some of New Zealand's rarest breeds of livestock.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 200

Dimensions: 203 x 254 mm

Publication Date: 01-12-2019

In 1970, National Business Review, commenced publication. This innovative, under-resourced, but courageous fortnightly tabloid had a small initial impact, but within five years was a major weekly publication. Grouped around it were other magazines, books, and newsletters. Launched by young entrepreneur Henry Newrick, it had editorial input from many of the young journalists of the 1960s. NBR became essential business reading while opening a new market to advertisers and setting new standards in journalism. This memoir, written by one of its founding writers (and the lawyer who fought off legal attacks for many years), is much more than just the story of NBR. It discusses major changes in New Zealand society, politics, the economy, and investigative journalism. It chronicles the way in which a few young New Zealanders with ambition but no money, grew an enterprise which attracted a succession of owners, gained millions in value, and led to its Fairfax-funded launch as a daily paper in1987 which lasting four years. The early lives of many who are now well-known included work for NBR. Its editors from Barrie Saunders, Reg Birchfield and Ian F.Grant, to Bob Edlin,Nevil Gibson, Colin James, Jim Eagles, and Warren Berryman set new standards for business reporting. The two decades end with the departure of the last of the innovators, the defeat of Fairfax’s bold plans, and its sale to a new owner. NBR returned to a weekly paper which lasted almost another 30 years in print and is still published online. The first two decades of publishing had many exciting times, all captured in this book. The Author: Hugh Rennie is a lawyer who was one of NBR’s initial editorial team, stepping aside for Barrie Saunders who became the first editor, but remaining involved to the end of the second decade. A Wellington lawyer and company director, and a writer, he has drawn on his own knowledge of the early years, the recollections of others, surviving company records, and private sources. Much of the information has not been published previously, and the book is extensively illustrated with contemporary material.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 206

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 30-10-2020