New Zealand > NZ - Non-Fiction

Jailed for a crime he didn't commit, now for the first time in 40 years, he tells his incredible story as we name a new prime suspect.

On 5 December 2001 New Zealand sporting and adventure hero Sir Peter Blake was killed by bandits at the mouth of the Amazon River. In this intimate account, Pippa Blake offers a private view of Sir Peter the husband and family man. Unpublished photographs from her personal albums, behind the scenes stories of Sir Peter's sailing adventures and Pippa's own journal entries and artworks provide a moving insight into a life shared with one of this country's greatest sporting legends.About the author:Pippa Blake was married to Sir Peter... read more

On February 22, 2011, journalist Jane Bowron had been living back in her hometown of Christchurch for three years when the city was struck by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake – just five months after a 7.1 earthquake. The first quake had caused damage but no fatalities. This time it was the ultimate horror story. Countless city buildings crashed to the ground and many people were killed. Others were trapped in rubble and raging fires. Whole suburbs were decimated as houses collapsed, hillsides fell away and the ground liquefied int... read more

John Lockyer delves into the who, the why and the how of very early European visitors and settlers to New Zealand. Included is information on Abel Tasman, James Cook, Marion du Fresne, 'Pakeha Maori', what type of traders first came to this country (sealers and whalers), what trade from primary products arose (flax and timber), and background to the missionaries.

If laughter is the best medicine then Dr Dave Baldwin's Healthy Bastards is the essential remedy for every bloke with concerns about his health. It's a well-known fact that men would rather suffer great agonies in silence than visit the doctor, so using humour and plain language Dr Dave defuses any fears, misguided notions or hang-ups men may have about their personal well-being. This guide, aimed at the common man and his common health problems, explains how the different parts of the body work, major diseases and their symptoms, ... read more

This is the true story of the Kiwi war horses of the First World War. The jet-black mare galloped wildly across the scorching white sands, the guns and shells exploding around her with a deafening roar. Her master spurred her on, his legs tightly gripping her heaving sides. With foam-flecked lips and ears laid flat, she thundered on through the flying bullets and choking dust ...Every ANZAC Day we celebrate our heroes, with many books written and stories told about the brave soldiers who fought and died in World War One. Until now ... read more

Kids are fascinated by dinosaurs, and love the idea of the fossils they have left behind. New Zealand has a rich fossil record which is accessible to the amateur fossil-hunter in locations around New Zealand, including shells and plant remains as well as the bones, teeth and other remnants of ancient reptiles, birds and fish. This handy pack-sized guide contains more than 30 accessible locations around the country where kids and their families can find fossils. Each location contains specific information on where to look and w... read more

Aphrodite's Island is a bold new account of the European discovery of Tahiti, the Pacific island of mythic status in Western imaginings about sexuality, the exotic, and the nobility or bestiality of 'savages'. In this groundbreaking book, Anne Salmond takes readers to the centre of these societies' shared history to furnish rich insights into Tahitian perceptions of the visitors while illuminating the full extent of European fascination with Tahiti. As she discerns the impact and meaning of the European effect on the island, she de... read more

"You were made a Pakeha, and the name of England was given to you for your tribe. I was made a Maori, and New Zealand was the name given to me. You forgot that there was a space fixed between us of great extent - the sea. You, forgetting that, jumped over from that place to this. I did not jump over from this place to that ...Move off from my places to your own places in the midst of the sea." Titokowaru. Straddling the Maori and European worlds of the 1860s, Titokowaru was one of New Zealand's greatest leaders. A brilliant strate... read more

The publication of the Cartwright Report twenty years ago was a momentous event in New Zealand history. The Inquiry into Associate Professor Herbert Green's 'unfortunate experiment' at National Women's Hospital established that this research, conducted without the consent of the patients, was unethical. Much followed from the Inquiry, chaired by Dame Silvia Cartwright, and its report. Critical issues were at stake: matters of life and death; the life's work of leaders within the medical profession; professional reputations; and pub... read more

Ian Mune's resonant growl and his characterful face are an institution in the world of New Zealand theatre, film and TV. Instantly recognised by generations of New Zealanders, he has been a central figure of screen and stage in this country since the 1960s. Ian Mune grew up in Tauranga, and had an early infatuation with the theatre, which took him to Wellington and a full-time career as an actor. Initially with the fledgling Downstage theatre company, he then had two years in the UK with the Welsh Theatre Company, before returning ... read more

In this hugely engaging book, acclaimed art writer Justin Paton takes us on a journey of exploration through the centuries and across the painted world - from the luscious fruit of Italy's Caravaggio to the lonely landscapes of New Zealand's Rita Angus, the dazzling panoramas of America's Lari Pittman and the mysterious 'tombstones' of Japanese artist On Kawara. Whether you're a keen art collector, a student of art, or just love to visit a gallery occasionally, this brilliant exposition of painting in all its forms will open your e... read more

The brutal, premeditated murder of Honorah Parker in 1954 in a lonely park by her 16-year-old daughter Pauline and Pauline's 15-year-old friend Juliet Hulme made shock headlines around the world. International media flocked to New Zealand to follow the trial. Still today, the murder remains one of the most interesting criminal cases of all time, and a source of intense public fascination throughout the world - especially since one of the murderers was revealed to be the murder-mystery writer Anne Perry, whose books sell in the mill... read more

Rua Kenana was an extraordinary prophetic leader from the Urewera. Resisting threats toexpel the Tühoe people from their ancestral lands, he established a remarkable communityat Maungapohatu, identifying himself as the ‘Míhaia’ or ‘Messiah’ for Túhoe. Judith Binney, Gillian Chaplin and Craig Wallace researched the history of the communityin the 1970s, working frst with a collection of photographs that they took to the Urewera.Sharing these photographs with descendants of Rua and his follow... read more

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From our earliest years we have heard proverbs, and many of them are repeated without much thought. Yes, 'birds of a feather flock together' and 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', but these sayings are so familiar that we are scarcely aware they are proverbs. It has been so for thousands of years, in every culture. It is only when someone like Max Cryer takes the time to look at them that we can see how these 'pearls of wisdom' have played such a key role in the moral guidance of every society. Sometimes the wisdom is distinctl... read more

Frank Sargeson wrote novels, memoirs and plays and was New Zealand's most important writer of short fiction following the death of Katherine Mansfield. He also encouraged numerous other writers, playing an invaluable role in the rise of our national literature, which he championed both at home and abroad. He was also a prolific letter writer, and this selection of the 500 most fascinating range over numerous topics, capturing his times, his milieu, his preoccupations and life. He loved gossip, could be bitchy and sharp, affec... read more

The Canterbury earthquake of February 2011 altered landscape, history and most importantly, human lives. Many perished and the lives of thousands were upended. In Trapped, Martin van Beynen documents with sensitivity and unerring detail the personal experiences of more than thirty quake survivors - before, during and after the event - in their own words. At once poignant, dramatic and enthralling, their stories record a defining moment in Canterbury's history and testify to the courage and heroism of everyday people. The firs... read more

New Zealand was the last country in the world to be discovered and settled by humankind. It was also the first to introduce full democracy. Between those events, and in the century that followed the franchise, the movements and conflicts of human history have been played out more intensively and more rapidly in New Zealand than anywhere else on Earth. The Penguin History of New Zealand tells that story in all its colour and drama. The narrative that emerges is an inclusive one about men and women, Maori and Pakeha. It shows that Br... read more

On the morning of 23 September 2009 Helen Meads was murdered by her husband Greg at the stables on their Matamata farm. It was the final chapter in years of control and abuse.
Here, Helen's father David White describes the events of that day and what led to it, and tells of the ordeals that a family is subjected to when one of their own is murdered. It is a poignant and compelling story. There are issues of custody, access and bail and looming court appearances. And often, as in this case, there is the killer's family ... read more