New Zealand > NZ Non-Fiction

At the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival recently, Fiona Farrell was the star of the opening night with her stories of the Christchurch earthquake - this book takes those stories and gives them weight and heft and context. Fiona Farrell's meandering travel book shows how an earthquake can change everything in a flash: the book you were writing, the house you were living in, the thoughts that preoccupied you. The Broken Book consists of four essays about life and walking bookended by a preamble and an afterword and interrupted b... read more

'It is the desire really to make myself a first person. For many years I was a third person - as children are, 'they', 'she', and as probably oppressed minorities become, 'they'. - Janet Frame, radio interview about writing her autobiography (1983). For the first time ever, this collection brings together Janet Frame's published short non-fiction in one collected volume, as well as material never seen before. Letters spanning 50 years of Frame's life are published alongside essays, reviews, speeches and extracts from interviews. T... read more

At 7.09 a.m. on 20 June 1994, David Bain called emergency services and
reported finding his entire family of five dead. A year later he was
convicted of having murdered them in cold blood, with determination and
cunning. He was sentenced to life in prison. However, after 12 years of
public controversy, inquiries and appeals, on 10 May 2007 the Privy
Council concluded that a substantial miscarriage of justice had occurred
and accordingly quashed the convictions and ordered a retrial. For the... read more

The census tells us that 8000 New Zealanders actively identify as Jewish and it is estimated that the broader population is probably around 25,000. There has never been an authoritative history of this country's Jewish population and yet people of Jewish descent (both secular and religious) have played vital roles in all aspects of our society throughout its history. Auckland alone has had five Jewish mayors. Jews have been prominent in New Zealand's business, cultural, intellectual, political, medical, intellectual life an... read more

Organised by seasons, this is a must-have collection of recipes that will become favourite staples in every household. Covering breakfasts, lunches, nibbles, starters, main meals and desserts there's inspiration for everyone; and Nadia's half Kiwi/half Malaysian heritage means that her food style is modern Kiwi with Asian and Mediterranean influences. A few examples are: Mint and Caper Lamb, Roast Tomato, Asparagus, Feta and Butterbeans; Lime Coconut Bombes with Raspberry Sauce; Pear, Date, Rocket, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad; Cho... read more

A true story of love in wartime and in peace by one of New Zealand's finest writers. In Crete during the Second World War a wounded Maori Battalion soldier and a young Cretan woman fall in love when the young infantryman is sheltered by her family. After marrying in Crete, Ned and Katina come back to live in New Zealand, settling in the Far North. They live a long, rich and happy life together, raising a family and involving themselves in community affairs there and in the Wellington region. Ned dies in 1987, Katina in 1996. Ye... read more

This book showcases New Zealand houses at their best – in the heat of summer, when doors and windows dissolve to embrace the sun and outdoors, and a more casual style of living prevails. Step inside more than 20 of this country's most stunning houses, ranging from simple island baches to luxurious city homes and inland retreats, all of which embrace the indoor-outdoor style of living that comes to the fore during summer months

Razor-witted, wise and just a touch scandalous, Beat till Stiff covers topics that Peta considers important, entertaining, naughty or personal. With chapters on why redheads have more fun, how egg whites provide a metaphor for living and how Peta stopped strangling her mother, the eagerly awaited follow-up to Can We Help it if We're Fabulous? and Just in Time to be too Late, is a book about the universal themes that affect all women.

New Zealand has a wealth of creative talent on display through numerous art galleries in towns and cities up and down the country. Some owner/artist galleries specialise in the work of one artist, while others prefer to represent the work of several artists or specialise in various media, including painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics and glass. With listings for over 100 entries, this guide presents a delightful range of interesting galleries to visit, from those tucked away in unusual locations to those that house i... read more

'Marginalized' workers of the late twentieth century were those hired in times of plenty and first fired in times of recession. Often women, Maori, or people from the Pacific, they were frequently unemployed, and marginalised within the union movement as well as the labour force. Workers in the margins tells the story of these workers in the tumultuous years of post-war New Zealand. These were years characterised by massive changes in the workforce, as it expanded to accommodate a growing urban Maori population and an increasing... read more

Imagine in Michael Schumacher had come back to Formula 1 and won the World Championship. This is what Mark Todd has achieved - winning at Badminton in 2011 and being a favourite to win a third Olympic gold medal. Mark Todd retired from eventing in 2000, after the Sydney Olympics, to take up a career as a racehorse trainer and breeder in his native New Zealand. He had a great deal of success but always hankered after competing at the highest level. He set his sights on riding at the 2008 Olympics - he achieved this, jumping a dou... read more

From 2003 to 2007 Nairn, Higgins and Sligo investigated what life was like for ninety-three young people coming to adulthood in the wake of Rogernomics. The authors conducted two interviews, one in participants' final year of high school and another twelve months later. The authors bring the lives, places and hopes of these young people into sharp focus. Their stories reveal the powerful psychic and material impacts of the discourses of neoliberalism, which obscure the structural basis of inequalities and insist that failure to ac... read more

Ninety percent of New Zealand's insects are unique. Many of these little-known creatures play an important part in our ecology. This book is both a field guide and a gallery, displaying the variety and beauty of an often-overlooked side of New Zealand’s wildlife. Ideal for children, trampers, mountaineers and conservation workers. Packed with over 650 colour photographs it covers native and introduced insects of the home, garden and farm, forest, mountains, streams and lakes. Includes common and rare butterflies, brightly co... read more

Legendary art commentator Hamish Keith returned to much-deserved national attention last year when his television series and accompanying (Godwit) book The Big Picture seized the imagination of New Zealanders. Keith's witty, revealing memoir, gives readers an insight into his well-lived, rich and immensely varied life. Whether as a confrere of Colin McCahon, the chairman of the Arts Council, husband of Oscar-wining film costume dseigner Ngila Dickson, bon vivant and accomplished chef or arch enemy of doddering bureaucrats, Keith ha... read more

When New Zealand mare Ethereal rounded the turn and stretched out for the winning post, snatching the $A.125 million 2001 Melbourne Cup, she etched her trainer's name in racing history as the first female trainer to win the big one. And it's the bond between horse and trainer that made Ethereal's success front-page news on both sides of the Tasman as well as the hype.This book is a warm chatty autobiography about Sheila growing up as a 'horsy' girl in Wales and marrying Laurie Laxon (well known in racing circles) in New Zealand in ... read more

Creatures is the first in a new series promoting New Zealand art for young children. Artists include Jeff Thomson, Richard Killeen, Jocelyn Carlin, Michael Tuffery, Richard Taylor, Warwick Freeman, Anne-Marie O'Brien. Images include painting, sculpture, photography, and jewellery.

Showcases the lives of Indian women working in New Zealand through four generations, in their own words and through official data. Stories of fabulous success merge with underemployment and no employment. Memories of Maori friendships and Maori relatives intertwine with mentoring by Pakeha women. Sewn into the stories are the spangles of an Indian patriarchal system which supported these women and at the same time created very strict demarcation lines; and the shaded sequins of in-laws who might manipulate them as they sought to ca... read more

Winner of the Biography Award at the 2005 Montana New Zealand Book Awards Chronicle of the Unsung mingles biography and autobiography in an unusual work, beautifully written and often powerful and moving.Four quite separate periods or episodes in author Martin Edmond's life are linked by a number of themes and are often the excuse for discussions of historical figures, typically on society's margins, or reflections on the nature of art and its relation to personal life. The sections are set in Europe, Australia, Fiji and New Zealan... read more

This is a rare book, for the general reader and the writer, the researcher and the academic. Fresh from writing "Wrestling With The Angel", the biography of Janet Frame, Michael King tells riveting stories as he considers questions which beset all intelligent writers and readers. What should biographers especially bear in mind? What is compassionate truth? What does one owe to one's subjects, and to one's readers? These collected writings roam far and wide. Be it humour and the commonplace made memorable, a refreshing look at race ... read more

This book collects the best of the 'strange but true' auctions with edited Q and As plus the backstories - what happened to each object after it was auctioned.