Our New Zealand nonfiction section features books and eBooks about travel, history, law and more. This list updates when we add new titles to our collection.
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eBook
Should your child do chores for pocket money? Do you talk to your kids about money? Will your kids be able to buy a house when they grow up?
Book
"This thoroughly interesting slice of Nelson region history is drawn from an extensive private collection. The images include many street scenes and town vistas, as well as themes such as public occasions, unfortunate events, sport and recreation, tr...
"In 2015 No.3 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force celebrated 50 years of continuous helicopter operations since it reformed in August 1965. Seek and Destroy is the official history of the machines and personnel that make up the colourful and wide-ra...
"The report probes the underlying constructs behind the QMS and the manner in which they have played out within the New Zealand context. It scrutinises the operation of the fisheries management system within the broader marine environment. Overall, i...
"In 1955 little did Prime Minister Sid Holland know that the Admiralty was seeking someone to take the orphan cruiser Royalist off their hands and recover their ill-advised expended funds. Royalist was a modernised sister ship of Bellona and Black Prince...
An illustrated history of NZ buses built by the British commercial vehicle manufacturer AEC, famous, amongst other things for its iconic London double-deckers. Between 1914 and 1977, AEC supplied 545 new bus & coach chassis to NZ. A further 19 AEC's ...
This book provides an overview of the history of transport through the Thames valley during the 20th century.
"They're ranked one of the world's worst invasive species. They're often described as pure evil. People use petrol bombs, flamethrowers and shotguns on them in acts of vengeance. Wasps are feared and hated by many of us, with good reason - they sting....
"Polls show that at least three-quarters of New Zealanders want a law change to allow those terminally ill and suffering intolerably to end their lives painlessly and with dignity. Yet it has been 14 years since Parliament failed by just two votes to...
"The author, a family historian and retired librarian, started researching the history of this particular house, prompted by a photograph of the original which was so different to the present day building. She became absorbed by the stories of previous...
"Alexander Aitken was an ordinary soldier with an extraordinary mind. The student who enlisted in 1915 was a mathematical genius who could multiply nine-digit numbers in his head. He took a violin with him to Gallipoli (where field telephone wire sub...
"An exploration of New Zealand's Maori cosmology and how it relates to classic ancient symbolic traditions around the world Shows how Maori myths, symbols, cosmological concepts, and words reflect symbolic elements found at Gobekli Tepe in Turkey Dem...
"Migration is at historically high levels and more than a quarter of the New Zealand population was born overseas. Yet immigration remains a deeply contentious issue, with the debate more often shaped by emotion than evidence. Julie Fry and Peter Wilson...
"In 2015 New Zealand Society Genealogists Nelson Branch, were winners of the TrustPower Community Awards Heritage and Environment category for 'Going Above and Beyond to mark an important centenary.' Little has been written about the nurses and less so...
"Ten years after the end of World War I, the Sydney Sun reported that an unknown ANZAC still lay in a Sydney psychiatric hospital. David Hastings follows this one unknown ANZAC, George McQuay, from rural New Zealand through Gallipoli and the Western ...
"In 2016, Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Andrew Butler proposed and published a written, codified constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand. Since then the authors have travelled the country, discussing with the public the nature of New Zealand's identity and where...
"Southon Cooking is ultimately a book about kiwi food we love to eat, complemented by stunning photography and a comprehensive chapter sections covering everything from game to fish, basics to desserts and a classics chapter with Kiwi kai we all grew...
"A beautifully crafted memoir of a family coping with their mother's dementia, Song for Rosaleen is both a celebration of Rosaleen Desmond's life and an unflinching account of the practical and ethical dilemmas that faced her six children"--Back cove...
"This little-known story from World War I looks at the aftermath of the war, when New Zealand soldiers waited to get a ship home. Many languished, bored and restless. In Sling Camp, in southern England, in overcrowded conditions and amid the influenz...
"After a brush with cancer, Helen Brown, happily married for 22 years and with three grown children, takes stock of her comfortable suburban life and finds it wanting. Seizing the day, she heads to New York, the city that never sleeps, where she is talked...
"The Gallipoli Landing of 25 April 1915 is arguably Australia’s best known battle. It is commemorated each year with a national holiday, services, parades and great media attention. 2015, the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign, was marked by great p...
"A poetry book written from a patient's perspective after a prolonged stay in the hospital following orthopaedic surgery. It details short interactions with staff and other patients, as well as small observations of daily life"--Publisher information...
"The Definitive History of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth Saga. Anything You Can Imagine offers an in depth look at the cinematic journey across all six films seen from the inside and from the outside world, featuring new interviews from Peter and those...
"Campion is one of the few women film-makers working today who has managed to create a unique body of work. A true independent film-maker, yet she also attracts Hollywood superstars to her films. This book covers Campion's remarkable career, reflecting...
"A brief history of the Poll Tax in New Zealand and a complete lists of (i) details of the Chinese (in alphabetical order) who arrived in Auckland between 1882 to 1930's and paid the Poll Tax (ii) details of the Chinese in chronological order, (iii) details...
"A beautifully crafted memoir of a family coping with their mother's dementia, Song for Rosaleen is both a celebration of Rosaleen Desmond's life and an unflinching account of the practical and ethical dilemmas that faced her six children. Told with ...
"A Place in the Country is essential reading for anyone who has, or plans to have, a rural property in Australia or New Zealand. Whether your goal is food, profit or enjoyment, this book offers the 'eyes wide open' approach to creating your own beaut...
Tasmin Mahika expresses her identity through art and theatre. She falls in love with university student actor and budding rugby star, Simon Greenwood, but this relationship is fraught with secrets and insecurities. Trans Tasmin is a play that explores...
"Guided by the work of Anna Carson, these poems trace the end of a marriage, a toxic love affair, age and aging, and the deeper question of spiritual meaning. Running throughout is Therese Lloyd's quest to prove that art is essential to life"--Back c...
"In How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes, Chris Tse took readers back to a shocking 1905 murder. Now he brings the reader much closer to home. He's So MASC confronts a contemporary world of self-loathing poets and compulsive liars, of youth and sexual ...
After gaining his Private Pilots Licence on Tiger Moths he tried to join the RNZAF for pilot training. He was rejected and caught the next available boat to England to join the RAF. He won the award for the best pilot on his course and went to a figh...
"The story of the tragic death by suicide of Paul Lynch's brother Brett and the devastating effect it had on his family. It is also a powerful plea for us to face up to suicide as an issue and acknowledge that the way we're dealing with it at the moment...
One of the country's three official languages, New Zealand Sign Language evolved in the communities that grew from networks of Deaf children at three schools for the Deaf from the late nineteenth century. The Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language (1997)...
Kiwi Cameliers is the result of chance find at Archives New Zealand of the Daily Orders pertaining to 15th and 16th Companies, Imperial Camel Corps. These two companies were composed of men drawn from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, predominately...
"The Art of Recovery began as a collection of ideas by the late Alan Clarke. As a medical professor and paraplegic himself, Alan penned the introduction to the book just hours before his death. It was, in fact, the last thing he ever wrote. It was Alan's...
"The country’s leading, independent travel guide specialising in six new regions. It’s packed full of interesting people to meet, things to do, places to go and food to eat; don’t leave home till you’ve seen the country."--
Walking to Jutland Street is the impressive first book-length collection by up-and-coming Auckland-based poet Michael Steven. Poems deliver snapshots of the human condition through bizarre personalities such as the subject of ̀Dropped Pin: Jollie Street',...
"No One Home tells the story of Keith Westwater growing up in 1950s New Zealand. At age seven he loses his mother to a botched operation and with her death loses a place to call home. So Keith and his brother take to the road with a gambling father, ...
"Young New Zealanders - men and women - write from the Cauldron of World War 2... AS IT HAPPENS... or very soon thereafter"--Publisher's description.
"Ten years after the end of World War I, the Sydney Sun reported than at unknown ANZAC still lay in a Sydney psychiatric hospital. David Hastings follows this one unknown ANZAC, George McQuay, from rural New Zealand through Gallipoli and the Western ...
"As well as the Miss Universe fairy-tale and her busy career, Lorraine shares details of her first marriage to All Black Murray Mexted, her delight in her two children, her success in Dancing with the Stars and her blissful relationship with cricketing...
"This beautifully crafted book celebrates the flair and flavours of Cuba Street, the colourful heart of Wellington's cafe scene. Take a gastronomic journey up the street and enjoy an eclectic mix of recipes, provided by over twenty of your favourite bars...
"One man's dream celebrates a new wave of interest in modern-retro caravanning. Highlighting the world of the iconic Lilliput brand manufactured in Auckland during the 1960s and 1970s, this book also honours the 30th anniversary of Lilliput Caravan Club...
"Contains the stories of fifteen Kiwis who are making a real difference to the way we live, in communities throughout New Zealand. Some are making housing affordable and offering comprehensive care services. Others are saving teenagers from addictions...
"Could this happen to you too? Nobody is safe. Sharon Armstrong had lived an exemplary life. She came from a supportive whanau, who taught her sound and sensible values. A solo mother, she had successfully brought up her daughter, had been employed in...
"Way back when there was a clear distinction between work and rugby, great names of the game spent their time working in an office or at a trade or out on the farm, all the while fitting in training and then playing at the weekends. That job/play dis...
"The task of living in modern New Zealand - and especially in modern Auckland - is not just to understand how to live with different peoples, but how to adapt to the future that has already happened. New Zealand is a nation that exists on Pacific Islands,...
"The book tells the story of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (NZMR Brigade) which fought as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) in the Sinai and Syria/Palestine from 1916 through to 1918. They operated in the Sinai alongside four Au...
"On 28 March 1860 on the southern outskirts of New Plymouth the Battle of Waireka occurred. Three paramount chiefs along with a number of other Taranaki and Ngati Ruanui warriors were killed. The somewhat confused actions of the British military have...
How we met is based on a collection of 'How We Met' stories - those lovely stories couples love to tell (and we all love to hear) about how they got together - The author's theory: that these stories of how couples meet - the romantic, absurd, serend...
"The port of Kaiapoi has a history that begins before the arrival of European settlers in the early 1850s. Maori trading parties used the Cam, Waimakariri and Styx Rivers as an inland water route to settlements further north. In 1849, the first coastal...
"An early working life hunting deer in the mountains of Southern Fiordland for Doc Sutherland led on to crayfishing around the south coast before he gained his ultimate dream goal of a helicopter pilot's licence that enabled him to extend the deer hu...
"New Zealanders started hearing things in new ways when new audio technologies arrived from overseas in the late 19th century. From the frst public demonstration of a phonograph in a Blenheim hall in 1879, people were exposed to a succession of machines...
"The 3rd collection of poetry by D J Pyle written between September 2016 and August 2017. The book features short form works that focus on the ironies of society through a lens of ontological nihilism".
In "Maea te Toi Ora: Māori Health Transformations" Māori clinicians and researchers explore the relationship between Māori culture and Māori mental health. The six contributing authors in the collection are Simon Bennett, Mason Durie, Hinemoa Elder, Te...
"In a series of backroom negotiations in 1956, the National Government and Labour Opposition agreed to put aside adversarial politics temporarily and entrench certain significant electoral rules. For any of these rules to be amended or repealed, Section...
"Justin Brown eavesdrops at the dinner table, the schoolyard, the farm and the sports club to bring us an entertaining dictionary of phrases and expressions - the often hilarious, sometimes baffling New Zealandisms we use in everyday life"--Publisher...
"Experience all the attractions of New Zealand with this up-to date and authoritative guide, complete with 'Best Of' recommendations. You'll find lonely beaches and breathtakingly beautiful national parks, cosy hotels and authentic restaurants, the top...
Every Thursday evening, at the end of ABC TV's 7:30 Report, John Clarke and long-time collaborator Bryan Dawe conduct a mock interview in which they satirise a current political issue or personality. In The Howard Miracle John Clarke, fully paid-up n...
When writer and historian Peter Wells found a cache of family letters amongst his elderly mother's effects, he realised that he had the means of retracing the history of a not-untypical family swept out to New Zealand during the great nineteenth-century...
"This is a book about peace; specifically, the ways that Christian communities have engaged with peacemaking in New Zealand. Following on from Saints and Stirrers, which examined Christian peacemaking and opposition to war in the period from 1814 to 1945,...
His memoir records the funny and unexpected aspects of orchestral life: the concert where the conductor dislocated his shoulder and a choral conductor in the audience stepped in to sight-read and conduct a difficult score; the solo violinist who broke...
"Crazy. Bold. Fearless. Parris Goebel was destined to make her mark. Young Queen is the autobiography of a dancer with a dream . . . a young Polynesian girl who grew up in New Zealand and went on to conquer the hip hop world. In this honest memoir, P...
Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Leipzig, language: English, abstract: This thesis analyses New Zealand writer Keri Hulme's novel "the bone people" and argues...
Herein you will find 23 Maori Myths and Legends collated and translated by Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand from November 1845 - January 1854 and again from December 1861 - February 1868. You will find legends and stories like The Children Of...
The cats of New Zealand star in this book of stunning portraits and stories that are by turn quirky, funny, sad and heartwarming.
"When writer and historian Peter Wells found a cache of family letters amongst his elderly mother's effects, he realised that he had the means of retracing the history of a not-untypical family swept out to New Zealand during the great nineteenth-century...
"Annabel Langbein shares hundreds of her favourite and most popular recipes for all things sweet. Featuring everything from nostalgic baking classics to modern vegan desserts, plus tried-and-true tips for perfect results every time and 'springboard' ...
"Over twenty years ago, well before the current trend for nature writing, Janet White wrote The Sheep Stell, a beautiful and evocative memoir about her life as a shepherdess. Throughout her life Janet has always tended sheep - first as a young woman in...
"Ceramic artist Vonney Ball's elegant output reflects a sound education in English ceramics design, a singularity of purpose and a drive to keep making work. Twenty years on from her arrival in New Zealand, her work connects cultural experiences from...
"Mervyn Taylor - wood engraver, painter, illustrator, sculptor and designer - was one of the most celebrated New Zealand artists of the 1930s to 1960s. He was highly connected to modernism and nationalism as it was expressed in New Zealand art and li...
"Swaziland is where you think, for the first time, maybe if I got brain fever I would be able to stop worrying. I'd lose control and, maybe then, I'd understand my friend's mind. In an attempt to break free from rationality and make her life a work of...
A 1400KM-EXPEDITION. 2MEN. 1REMARKABLE STORY ON THE INDOMITABLE HUMAN SPIRIT On 1 December 2013, two men set out on a unique journey between New Zealand's highest mountains. On a shoestring budget and an equally tight time constraint, they traversed ...
"On Feb. 22, 2011, a massive earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 185 people. This book is the diary of my Life Inside the Cordon, working for the New Zealand Army for six months before the cordon, later known as the CBD Red Zone, was...
"From an early age, author and publisher Chris Maclean was told he had a way with words. This talent, which protected him from school bullies and made him a proficient debater, later became the focus of his professional life. Since the 1980s he has written...
Secrets and Ties guides helping professionals to support their communities without sacrificing their own lives. I interviewed eleven helping professionals working and living in small communities and from a variety of professions: medical, nursing, social...
A collection of topics from one of Radio Samoa's regular programme segment called "Aoao Malu Manogi o le Lolo" that discusses and explains issues and subjects like Samoan protocols, traditions, oratory, genealogy. Radio Samoa is based in Manukau, Auckland...
""True Tales of Thames" is a collection of true tales brought together from many contributors with a link to this area. It is a fascinating collection of tales, history and photographs which reflect amd provide a valuable record of the 'way we were and...
"Jane was 17 when she disappeared off Auckland's Karangahape Road in 1993. She was a girlfriend, a daughter, a sex worker, and the mother of a young baby. Her disappearance made sensational headlines across the country, particularly when it was linked...
"This textbook covers the topics all journalists need to know for a career in journalism in Aotearoa New Zealand. These include finding and writing news, reporting specialist rounds (like politics and sport), radio and TV journalism, media law and ethics....
"The text is written in plain language and designed to promote an understanding of the concepts that lie at the heart of the law of equity, trusts and succession, and the context against which that law was made. Written by law lecturers Juliet Cheval...
Ever felt you need to turn to a whole team of advisers for help in bringing up your wayward children? From psychiatrists to cooks, from laundry maids to substance abuse counsellors? Then this book, an easy-to-read guide to teenagers--and how to live ...
Many New Zealand writers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century travelled extensively or lived overseas for a time, and they often led very interesting lives. The received wisdom is that they were forced to leave these colonial backblocks...
"This is a vivid portrayal of how World War Two affected two young people and their experiences of those traumatic years as they remained thousands of kilometres apart: Jim Insull, a navigator in RAF Bomber Command, eventually facing violent death on...
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