First published December 2006.

The Great Divide, working from the original documents from 200 years ago, directly challenges the findings of books like Michael King’s Penguin History of New Zealand or Claudia Orange’s Treaty of Waitangi, and in doing so offers a fresh new perspective on an issue affecting every single New Zealander. Among the book’s findings, all fully supported with documentary citations: • The scientifically-documented discovery of stone tools five metres underground, beneath ancient forests in the South Island a... read more

How have two very different marginalised groups in New Zealand society - Maori and Chinese - interacted over the last 150 years? This important book, the result of a major grant from the Marsden Fund, looks at the relationship between the tangata whenua and the country's earliest and largest non-European immigrant group for the first time. Do Maori resent Chinese immigrants? Do Chinese New Zealanders understand the role of the tangata whenua? Have Maori and Chinese formed alliances based on common values and history? Contributors t... read more

Early British settlement of new Zealand, and particulary systematic settlement, is seen through the eyes of ordinary people who came at the outset in the context of the circumstances and forces in Britain which shaped their emigration, their contibutions upon arrival and whether their legacies and charadteristics have endured - with an eye to the search for a separate identity for New Zealand today. -Taken from back cover

During seven years of travel to seven continents and thirty countries, Chris Rainier photographed the traditions od tattooing, scarifications, piercing and other forms of body-altering art, origins of which date to the dawn of mankind. Here in Ancient Marks: the Sacred Origins of Tattoos and Body Marking, Rainier presents more than one hundred elegant black and white images, revealing the haunting beauty of these often mystical forms. These striking images document humanity's enduring efforts to tell stories,forge identities and cr... read more

Finalist in the General Non-Fiction category. During the nineteenth century the Urewera was a remote but enticing wilderness except for the Maori who lived there, for them it was a sheltering homeland. In 1866-67 large areas were taken by confiscation or forced cession.At the end of the fighting in 1872 the Urewera became an autonomous district, governed by its own leaders. In 1921-22 the Urewera Native Reserve was abolished in law. This book provides the historical context for Tuhoe's quest for the restoration of their 'nationhood'.

Maori form a significant proportion of the modern New Zealand Army, and Maori officers have achieved the very highest commands, their unique culture is deeply embedded in its tradition and daily routines; celebrated by Maori (indigenous) and pakeha (non-indigenous) soldiers alike. The exploits of the 28th (Maori) Battalion in WWll - peerless in attack - are well-remembered. Not so well known is the major Maori contribution to the Allied cause in the Great War. Maori were quick to respond in 1914. Over five times as many as the spec... read more

Waka Taua gives a concise introduction to the Maori war canoe. Key areas covered by the book include waka traditions, types and variants of the canoe, phases of building, parts of the waka, responsibilities of the crew and paddling the craft. With numerous historical and contemporary photographs and drawings, Waka Taua is an easily-read tribute to this timeless expression of tribal identity and power.

Te Maire Tau writes: 'I first came across the Carrington typescript in 1987 when, as an under-graduate, I was researching our tribe's history in the Alexander Turnbull Library. Reading the text, I was captured for the rest of the day. Besided the exhilaration that historians always feel on coming across an old and little known manuscript, the story that Carrington told read differently from the standard histories of Ngai Tahu written by nineteenth-century scholars. ... English journalist Hugh Carrington wrote a history of Ngai T... read more

A look into our recent past when New Zealand was beginning to move away from a purely rural economy to an urban society. This is conveyed through a collection of more than 250 photographs selected by William Main which were made in the first half of the 20th century. Nearly all the people featured in this book are unknown. The people who posed for these postcards did so because they wanted to send them to their friends and relations. Most were made in a studio belonging to a professional photographer. Eventually, however, amateur's... read more

A large scale book containing contemporary artwork, photography, poetry and short writings including personal experiences of Matariki - the Maori New Year. Beginning with an introduction and background to Matariki the book features full-page reproductions of 41 contemporary Maori artworks, and is a rich resource of Matariki proverbs, stories and knowledge.

Te Wahi Pounamu, translated from Maori to mean, 'The Place of Greenstone', is a book that recounts the history of Greenstone, how it got its name and where it was created. It also describes in detail the various varieties of Greenstone that occur in the Jade fields of Westland in the South Island of New Zealand. Chapters in this book are dedicated to stories of discovery, working with stone and protection of the resource.

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

From one of the leading Maori scholars of his generation and one of our greatest photographers comes this beautifully illustrated work that serves as a fine overview of leadership and challenges for Maori today. After a general introduction to Maori history, Te Ara focuses on the stories of iwi in five regions - Hokianga, Peowhairangi (Bay of Islands) Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland), Waiariki (Rotorua-Taupo) and Murihiku (Otago-Southland). This trilingual publication - in Maori, English and German - will be of value for general readers... read more

The Treaty of Waitangi is the most important document in New Zealand's history. Current Treaty issues and Maori/Pakeha relationships can only be understood within the wider story of New Zealand. As we understand and honour our history, we can acknowledge the need for restoration, healing and right relationships. The public response to previous editions of this bestselling book by Robert Consedine and his daughter Joanna Consedine has been strong and overwhelmingly positive. This 2012 edition updates and expands on the critical iss... read more

P.M.E. Williams spent a lifetime recording the use of plant material for medicinal purposes by Maori.
He makes no recommendations but indicates which plants were used for various problems, colourfully interspersing his notes with anecdotal evidence. He had a long association with the Ngapuhi people and it has been from them that he learnt about Maori medicines and their importance.

Vaka Moana is a story of origins and identity; a voyage across thousands of miles and hundreds of generations, and a testament to the ingenuity and bravery of humankind. Published to accompany a major international travelling exhibition of the same name opening at Auckland Museum on 6 December 2006 in the new exhibition gallery, Vaka Moana brings together the latest scholarship on the peopling of the Pacific, traditional voyaging and navigation, and the modern renaissance of voyaging that has brought a resurgence in interest in... read more

This book is a valuable record and catalogue of Maori fibre techniques, including plaiting, weaving, braiding, miro, single pair twining, double pair twining, close twining, taniko, twining with rigid materials (fish traps), netting, knotless netting, tukutuku, windmill knotting and wickerwork. It includes black and white and colour photos, plus line drawings of different techniques and patterns. Many of these techniques are not recorded elsewhere, and are at risk of dying out. Mick’s descriptions and illustrations are practi... read more