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Join the Kete community. Stay up-to-date on the latest in new books from Aotearoa, from reviews and events to giveaways.
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Join the Kete community. Stay up-to-date on the latest in new books from Aotearoa, from reviews and events to giveaways.
Read our independent reviews of the latest books from Aotearoa.
Pānuihia ā mātou arotakenga tūhake o ngā pukapuka hou nō Aotearoa.
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Review'We witness how science can provide evidence but cannot determine exactly what a government should do. Values, politics, economics, expectations, and other practical considerations...
Reviewed by Angela Walker
22 September 2026
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ReviewGreg Fleming finds much to explore in John Summers' book about trampers lost in the bush.
Reviewed by Greg Fleming
20 September 2026
Review'Te hokinga mai ki te kāinga, te tūhononga anō o te taura here, ā, koinei pea te kōrero tino hira ka puta i a ia.'
Reviewed by Isla Huia
14 September 2026
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ReviewGraham Reid takes an approving look at the Shihad veteran's memoir.
Reviewed by Graham Reid
10 September 2026
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ReviewLena Fransham admires the quiet economy of the stories in HUSH.
Reviewed by Lena Fransham
9 September 2026
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Review'Morey has the most fun with the kēhua (spirits) of three kuia (including Bird and Kaa) who gather to kōrero about their lives, deaths, and descendants...'
Reviewed by Karen Holdom
7 September 2026
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Review'Broadening our idea of the modern Māori novel, Baker remains obsessed with the tension between light and dark...'
Reviewed by Mairātea Mohi
2 September 2026
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ReviewDavid Hill reports on town-to-rural memoir THE FARM.
Reviewed by David Hill
2 September 2026
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Review'New Zealand literature has long had a fascination for glorifying the forlorn hero; or, as he’s more commonly known, the ‘man alone’...'
Reviewed by Siobhan Harvey
1 September 2026
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Review'This book contemplates the unsettling remains and current state of Pakeha colonisation through the region, pausing often on the fast-growing gum trees...'
Reviewed by Erica Stretton
28 August 2026
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ReviewA capsule review plus poem extract of experienced poet Airini Beautrais's new collection SALT QUILT.
Reviewed by Erica Stretton
27 August 2026
Review'The dichotomy adam's really interested in – and enraged by – is the dichotomy between humanity and inhumanity...'
Reviewed by Feby Idrus
25 August 2026
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Review'Marlon’s unfamiliarity with friendship and family makes him an interesting protagonist. He is used to being overlooked...'
Reviewed by Imogen Gadd
20 August 2026
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ReviewImogen Gadd considers loss and grief in Philippa Werry's latest YA novel.
Reviewed by Imogen Gadd
19 August 2026
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ReviewImogen Gadd explores Li Chen's second DETECTIVE BEANS graphic novel and finds it engaging and adventurous.
Reviewed by Imogen Gadd
15 August 2026
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Review'She recounts her experiences with a directness that is as refreshing and enlightening as it is disturbingly honest...'
Reviewed by Richard Pamatatau
6 August 2026
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Review'Quiet seriousness sits at the heart of these stories, alongside a steadfast commitment to going deeper, getting under the skin...'
Reviewed by Nat Baker
4 August 2026
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Review'Mason suggests that the most meaningful relationships we form with art may ultimately reveal as much about ourselves...'
Reviewed by Clare Travaglia
28 July 2026
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Review'The stories are bound together by the common thread of male isolation...'
Reviewed by Anna Scaife
27 July 2026
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Review'...thoughtful, tender, and playful meditations on place, self, and the haunting of both.'
Reviewed by Melanie Kwang
14 July 2026
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ReviewLibby Kirkby-McLeod hunts for juicy story in political memoir RINGSIDE.
Reviewed by Libby Kirkby-McLeod
14 July 2026