Authors: Major Lindsay Rogers Publisher: John Douglas Publishing

WAR BRINGS strange fates to many men but to none more than Lindsay Rogers, a New Zealand surgeon who had been serving with the Eighth Army in the desert. He volunteered for special service in S.O.E. and then found himself set down on one dark night on the Isle of Vis, off the Dalmation coast. His job was to work as a surgeon among Yugoslav partisans; to fight with them, to tend the wounded and to act as an unofficial liaison officer between them and the Allied troops. For many months to come, in caves and deep in forests, up mountains, he brought all his skill as a surgeon, his staunch- ness and bravery as a serving soldier to his strange job. He was soon attached to the British Mission under Fitzroy Maclean, and was interviewed by Tito, who held him in the highest regard. In Guerilla Surgeon he tells his story it is an inspiring and intensely exciting one.

25 March 2024

Authors: Rebecca Rice, Matiu Baker, Katie Cooper , Michael Fitzgerald Publisher: Te Papa Press

The New Zealand Wars of 1845-72 were a series of bitter and bloody conflicts between Maori and Pakeha that extended from Wairau to the Bay of Islands, and from Taranaki to the East Cape. They are as important to New Zealand as the civil wars were to England and to the United States. Land and sovereignty were at their heart. This richly illustrated book, developed in partnership with iwi, delves into Te Papa's Matauranga Maori, History and Art collections to explore taonga and artefacts intimately connected with the key events and players associated with the New Zealand Wars, sparking conversation and debate and shedding new light on our troubled colonial past. Contributing essays from Basil Keane, Arini Loader, Danny Keenan, Jade Kake, Mike Ross, Paul Meredith, Monty Soutar, Puawai Cairns and Ria Hall.

14 March 2024

Author: Richard Shaw. Publisher: Massey University Press

After Richard Shaw published his acclaimed memoir The Forgotten Coast in 2021, he made contact with Pakeha with long settler histories who were coming to grips with the truth of their respective families' 'pioneer stories'. They were questioning the foundation of aggressive acts of colonisation and land confiscation on which those stories had been constructed. The Unsettled weaves those stories with Shaw's own and features New Zealanders who are trying to figure out how to live well with their own pasts, their presents and their possible futures. They may be unsettled, but they are doing something about it.

It is an indispensable companion for the journey towards understanding the complex and difficult history of the New Zealand Wars and their ongoing aftermath.

14 March 2024

Authors: Buddy Mikaere and Cliff Simmons Publisher: Upstart Press

The 29 April 1864 Battle of Pukehinahina-Gate Pa resulted in the astonishing defeat of a force of 1700 Imperial British soldiers, sailors and a few militia, who were supported by the largest artillery battery assembled at any time during the New Zealand Wars. Their defeat was at the hands of a group of Maori irregulars just over 200 strong.

8 February 2024

Author: Philippa Werry. Publisher: Oratia Books.

With six books now published, The NZ Series is a valuable non-fiction resource for general readers and schools, introducing complex subjects in simple, concise terms. In this seventh volume, Philippa Werry recounts the stories and experience of migration to Aotearoa — from the first Polynesian arrivals to the Dawn Raids, from the New Zealand Company to ten-pound Poms, from Dutch and Dalmatian refugees to today’s Asian Kiwi communities.

14 November 2023

Authors: Kirsty Johnston & James Hollings. Publisher: Massey University Press.

A fresh look at the murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe.

09 November 2023

Author: Hazel Riseborough. Publisher: Bridget Williams Books.

Rather than a history of Parihaka itself, Hazel Riseborough’s compelling account delves into the government’s systematic efforts to dismantle Māori rights and self-determination. First published in 1989, Days of Darkness is published now in a new edition which includes opening words contributed by the Parihaka community.

01 November 2023

Author: Dom Felice Vaggioli. Translator: John Crockett. Publisher: Otago University Press.

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.

26 October 2023

Author: Michael King. Publisher: Penguin.

This bestselling book by the late Michael King is the unchallenged contemporary reference on the history of New Zealand. First published in 2003 and hailed as a triumph of careful research, wide reading and judicious assessment, it has been continuously in print for 20 years and has sold more than 300,000 copies. Now more relevant than ever, this 20th anniversary edition includes a Foreword by Sir Tipene O'Regan and a biographical essay about the author by Jock Phillips.

10 October 2023

Author: Paula Wagemaker, Judy Beck & John Hellier. Publisher: Quentin Wilson Publishing.

A major stop on the Otago Central Rail Trail, this unique book of New Zealand’s longest running general store is perfect for anyone interested in history, biography and society.

1 September 2023

Author: Matthew Wright. Publisher: David Bateman Limited.

In this third, revised and expanded edition of Illustrated History, noted historian Matthew Wright brings New Zealand's turbulent and exciting past to life.

1 September 2023

Author: Gillian Torckler. Illustrator: Adele Jackson. Publisher: David Bateman Limited.

My Aunt Honor is a sophisticated non-fiction (biography) picture book featuring beautiful illustrations. The book introduces readers to the active service role of women in WWII and gives a glimpse into life in the early 1940s.

1 September 2023

Author: Tom Clarke. Publisher: David Bateman Limited.

Our Untold Stories is a collection of interesting, informative, entertaining, amusing, inspiring, tragic and fascinating stories from New Zealand’s past — stories which have been largely forgotten or were unknown.

1 September 2023

Author: Rowan Light. Publisher: Bridget Williams Books (BWB Texts)

Historian Rowan Light offers a series of case studies about local debates about history in New Zealand. These provisional judgements of the past illuminate aspects of what it means to remember - and why it matters.

1 September 2023

Author: Ron Crosby. Publisher: Oratia Books.

In Te Kooti’s Last Foray, Ron Crosby sets straight the historical record and brings to life an incredible story of hardship, endurance and conflicting loyalties in colonial New Zealand.

8 August 2023

Authors: Jock Phillips & Brendan Graham. Publisher: HarperCollins (NZ)

Our Land in Colour celebrates the rich story of Aotearoa through the restoration of images never before seen in colour. A breathtaking collection of 200 photographs expertly colourised by Aotearoa New Zealand's premier colourist, Brendan Graham, with commentary from award-winning historian Jock Phillips ONZM

2 August 2023

Author: Grant Henderson. Publisher: David Bateman Ltd.

Illustrated with rare vintage photography, Fishing the Tongariro is a comprehensive history of our greatest trout river and its ongoing appeal as a celebrated trout fishing destination.

1 August 2023

Author: Margaret Lovell-Smith. Publisher: Canterbury University Press.

I Don’t Believe in Murder is an alternative history of the years before, during and after New Zealand’s involvement in World War I.

10 July 2023

Authors: Peter Alsop, Kate Parsonson, Richard Wolfe. Publisher: Lasavia Publishing Ltd

Edmonds is one of New Zealand's best-known brands - its radiant sun and 'Sure to Rise' promise have embellished baking powder labels and the much-loved Edmonds Cookery Book for over a hundred years and are now embedded in our popular culture. The man behind the company, Thomas Edmonds, came to New Zealand with his wife Jane in 1879. While running a modest grocery store in Christchurch, he expanded into making baking powder. As his most famous product took off, he built new premises, the last of them the Art Deco factory with its nationally admired gardens.

1 May 2023

Author: Sir William Te Rangiua ‘Pou’ Temara. Publisher: Auckland University Press.

He kōrero hirahira tēnei i te reo Māori o tā Tūhoe whai wāhi ki te pakanga ki Ōrākau. A remarkable account in te reo Māori of Tūhoe involvement in the battle of Ōrākau.

09 March 2023