Ray Avery is the current New Zealander of the Year in recognition of his work in the Third World, using his scientific and business knowledge to provide cheap cataract operations, cheap and more effective incubators for babies, and other creative scientific solutions. Brought up in an orphanage (his mother had tried to sell him!), then running away and living on the streets, Ray went on to become a scientist, a very successful businessman and now someone who literally does help to change the world. He encourages other talented people to get on board and tackle some of the really big problems confronting the poor in developing countries. From his garage in Mt Eden, Auckland, Avery manages a global network of experts to work on specific projects and somehow everyone finds themselves donating their time and knowledge for free -- and they are rewarded by making a difference. Rebel With A Cause is his amazing story

Widely acknowledged as New Zealand's finest writer, Katherine Mansfield holds a special place in the hearts of New Zealanders. Katherine Mansfield: The Story-teller is the first new biography of Mansfield for a quarter of a century, and is published at a time when interest in Mansfield and her work is increasing throughout the world. Kathleen Jones gives a vivid portrayal of Mansfield, correcting previous misinterpretations of her illnesses and relationships, and weaving a compelling drama from the detail. The story extends further still, beyond Mansfield's death in 1923, to include the subsequent life of her husband, John Middleton Murry, shedding fascinating new light on the way he controversially manipulated the publication of some of Mansfield's unpublished work. Drawing astutely on Mansfield's own letters and journals, Jones has crafted a text unusually sparkling and intimate, providing a new picture of this brilliant, original yet fragile writer.  

Throughout its 93-year existence, Coolangatta, completed in 1913, was unquestionably Auckland's most admired residence. When Coolangatta was destroyed without warning in 2006, Peter Macky became determined to find out exactly how and why such a tragedy could have occurred. Who was responsible? What role did the Auckland City Council play? Following an exhaustive investigation spanning three years, Macky has not only answered these questions, but he has also unearthed a wealth of information on Auckland's heritage, its Arts and Crafts architects and early architectural history. Most importantly, however, the book is an appeal for a greater appreciation of our heritage and its protection; and for improvements to Auckland city’s contemporary architecture and urban design.   

"I had the ambition to not only go as far as anyone had been before, but as far as it was possible for man to go." - Lieutenant James Cook, 1771. The mighty Tasman Sea casts a spell on all who venture into it. Here, for the first time, is a book that tells its remarkable life story, from its early origins to the multi-layered human experience of it ... whenever people interact with a sea of the Tasman's nature, there is bound to be drama. The Tasman describes life of all kinds, from first exploration, shipping disasters, heroic crossings and strange marine creatures, to the many colourful coastal communities in New Zealand and Australia. With an unerring eye for detail, esteemed travel and natural history writer Neville Peat has crafted a compelling, visually stunning account of all things Tasman. 

As Commander of the New Zealand troops in the Bamiyan Province of Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Hall gained a unique insight into the lives of Kiwi soldiers serving in a harsh climate amid daily threats, as well as into the lives of the locals -- from the female governor trying to establish order in a patriarchal society, to the farmer scratching a living from an inhospitable land, to the orphaned girls destined to be sold into marriage at a young age. He vividly and movingly recalls his experiences, but also explains the vision he tried to implement there on behalf of this country. He tackles the complex issues involved in an army that seeks to bring both aid and a Western way of doing things in a deeply Islamic country. He offers an astute perspective on working with New Zealand troops, American soldiers, corrupt Afghani officials, intransigent aid organisations, while tackling crippling poverty, insurgents’ attacks, impossible terrain and severe weather. This is an important and fascinating view of New Zealand's role in Afghanistan. 

This is a tale of two men: one who became the first hero of New Zealand cricket, and one whose lifelong dream was to write his biography. Bert Sutcliffe, a stout-hearted giant of the post-war cricketing world, never did get to see his long-awaited story in print. He died in 2001 aged 77, leaving behind a trail of re-written record books. It's not hard to understand Rod Nye's desire to write Sutcliffe's biography. The sheer enormity of Sutcliffe's influence on New Zealand cricket and his massive popularity as a player deserved a full biography of his life and career. Tragically, Nye, who had been nearing the completion of his mission, died in 2004, leaving behind a treasure trove of research on the remarkable batsman. In The Last Everyday Hero, cricketing writer Richard Boock joins the talents of these two men and completes the story. Many of those who have contributed to this book have also since departed; it is New Zealand cricket's field of dreams. 

This superbly produced publication from the Queensland Art Gallery’s series of country-specific exhibition projects -- bringing together more than 120 works by over 30 artists, from the late 1960s to the present -- explores a particularly rich, dark vein found in contemporary New Zealand art and cinema, and includes a strong focus on photography and moving-image works. Major sculptures by Michael Parekowhai, installations by Lisa Reihana and Michael Stevenson, and photographic series by Yvonne Todd, Gavin Hipkins, Anne Noble and Greg Semu feature alongside film and video art by Sriwhana Spong and Nathan Pohio, as well as the work of emerging artists James Oram and Lorene Taurerewa. The essays examine New Zealand’s contemporary artistic practice in terms of complex traditions and histories, as well as a changing social, political and cultural landscape.

John Pule is one of today’s most significant New Zealand artists, his powerful, enigmatic and personal paintings having attracted great interest from the mid-1990s. Inspired by hiapo, the innovative barkcloths of 19^th century Niue, Pule has been fascinated by the Polynesian past and present, but his work, including his novels and poetry, ranges far more widely, responding both to ancestral culture, and to the global terror and violence of our time. This book’s essays provide several routes into Pule’s engaging and compelling works, considering his formation as a writer and artist, his meditations on life and loss, and the extraordinary architecture of his visual art. Published to coincide with the first major survey exhibition of John Pule’s work, curated by the City Gallery, Wellington.

Renowned and much loved actor-director and comedy show writer David McPhail recounts his early life and what led him to pioneer the famous satirical TV programmes (including ‘A Week of It’ and ‘McPhail and Gadsby’), what drove him to perform comedy, and his desire to make us laugh. With a glint in his eye, he tells of his creative friendships with A.K. Grant, Bruce Ansley and Jon Gadsby; his encounters with former Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, the comic genius Dudley Moore, and the television networks of the day. 

To rattle off the hits of Neil and Tim Finn reads like a checklist of recent New Zealand pop music history. Based on interviews, critical analysis, extensive research and more than 30 years of watching and listening to Neil and Tim Finn, Together Alone is the first biography written about the celebrated brothers from sleepy, rural Te Awamutu: Tim, the ‘closet drummer’ and accidental band leader, Neil the guarded family man. This is the story of Split Enz, of Crowded House, of solo careers; a story of breakthroughs, breakdowns, sibling rivalry and respect -- and some of the best pop songs since Lennon and McCartney. 

The late baby boomers are starting to reflect on ways to grow old well, and these 30 affecting pieces by prominent New Zealanders over the age of 65 serve as compelling pieces of autobiography, as inspiration and as meditation. The contributors, who include Elizabeth McRae, Wilson Whineray, Ranginui Walker, Brian Edwards, Merimeri Penfold, Hamish Keith, Elizabeth Smither, Sir Paul Reeves, Barry Brickell, Vincent O’Sullivan, Tessa Duder and Michel Corballis, continue to make a vital contribution to our nation. Encouraged to be frank and self revealing, their essays read like letters for their eventual descendants: on how they saw the world and themselves when young, on the issues around growing old, on how they see the future, and on the wisdom they’ve picked up along the way.

Professor Chesney -- Ches for short -- recalls a court case from 15 years ago in which he was an expert witness. At its centre is Huey Dunstan, a young man accused of murdering a taxi driver in cold blood. Ches, called in to try to determine the motivation behind this uncharacteristic act of violence, is at first baffled by an ordinary, unassuming, polite young man who seems determined at all costs to incriminate himself. The crux of the case involves the twin enigmas of buried memory and provocation, both contentious elements that require risk-taking at the edge of New Zealand law. But Ches is no foreigner to dilemmas of this kind: he is a trained psychologist, specialising in trauma, and he is blind. This is a compelling novel, both emotionally engaging and thought-provoking -- an important insight into the workings of the law… and of humanity. 

In 2008 one of New Zealand’s foremost painters Don Binney completed a suite of 24 charming coloured pencil drawings of Auckland's West Coast. They are evocative of the coast so many New Zealanders love and are magnificent works in themselves. In this enchanting, beautifully produced book they are accompanied by text that takes the reader on an imaginary journey from Huia to Te Henga (Bethells), commenting on the landmarks shown in each of the drawings. They also draw on Binney's extensive contact with this coast and with the Waitakeres in general: in early adulthood he tramped and camped throughout the area, he was a founder member of the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society and he has often used his art to underpin his conservation-activist work.

New Zealand Fashion Design celebrates New Zealand's top contemporary fashion designers, showcasing their work and encapsulating the developments in this fast-moving creative field over the past 30 years. New Zealand's designers are as diverse as their creations, and together they have brought New Zealand fashion to the attention of the international fashion world. Individual designers profiled in the book are extensive, from veterans like Marilyn Sainty and Zambesi's Elizabeth Findlay to commercial success stories like Trelise Cooper. These profiles are generously illustrated with catwalk and editorial photographs, and material from each designers' own archives and collections. New Zealand Fashion Design gives readers an up-close look at the clothes themselves and provides real insights into each designer's work methods, design philosophy and inspiration. This gorgeously designed book is essential reading for anyone interested in fashion design, from aspiring designers, to students of art and design, to fashion lovers and collectors. 

For the first European settlers who came to New Zealand, a first priority was to create a productive and, later, ornamental garden. Bee Dawson traces the development of gardening in New Zealand, from the Maori gardens of pre- and early contact times through the optimistic efforts of missionaries and the other early settlers, the magnificence and productivity of the Victorians and Edwardians, and the Dig for Victory campaigns of the 1940s.
Illustrated throughout with historic photographs, paintings and ephemera, accompanied by a lively writing style, A History of Gardening in New Zealand brings to life the successes and failures and the sense of achievement felt by New Zealand gardeners through the years, as they coaxed plenty and beauty from a new earth.  

The leading Colin McCahon scholar, Gordon H. Brown, presents new insight into the meanings of McCahon's paintings. Tracing his life and work, from his student days at King Edward Technical College in Dunedin, through learning from Toss Woollaston, and on to his adult life working at the Auckland Art Gallery and the Elam art school, Brown analyses key aspects of the paintings: the role of the bible, the idea of the promised land, the use of words and numbers. Brown also leads us into McCahon's various studios, his involvement with the theatre, and his life at home. A trusted friend from 1952 until the artist's death in 1987, Brown draws on that personal relationship and on many years writing and talking about the meanings of McCahon's paintings to offer a vivid new portrait of New Zealand’s most distinguished artist. 

Regards New Zealand's wine history, most people know about the impact of Dalmatian immigrants on the wine industry, and that in the 1820s vines were planted at various places in the Far North. But given how vital the industry is today and how much attention our distinctive New World wines get from overseas judges, we are surprisingly hazy about what happened in between. Did you know that had it not been for the Temperance movement and the aggression of the beer industry, New Zealand would have had a thriving wine industry a century earlier? And that if it weren't for Catholic priests, winemaking may have died out altogether? In this carefully researched, engaging history, respected wine writer Keith Stewart uncovers the fascinating story of wine in New Zealand, highlighting the remarkable characters who believed in it and whose passion drove it forward, even in its darkest decades.  

In The New Zealand Cook's Bible, you will find everything from how to saute a potato and fillet a fish to the best method for roasting beef and selecting the right knife. It is a comprehensive cookbook, covering traditional methods and techniques, modern ingredients, terms and tools, and delicious, easy-to-follow recipes. Now completely revised and updated, The New Zealand Cook's Bible, written by the chefs who train the professional chefs of the future, includes a new chapter on one of the most difficult parts of entertaining at home: how to successfully cater, plan and time a meal for a group of family and friends. Whether you are a complete culinary novice or an experienced home cook wanting to develop, improve and hone your skills, this book will be your ultimate kitchen companion. 

This collection of essays puts some of our most popular myths through a 21st-century reality check with more than a dash of humour. Armed with notebook and guitar, Justin Brown set out to find more about the 'average' Kiwi -- and the 'real' New Zealand where he (or she) lives. Along the way, he challenged fundamental beliefs such as: Do we really have a number 8 wire mentality -- and if so, what do we use if for? Whatever happened to the 'good keen man'? Where's the new generation of Burt Munros? Is this still a great place to bring up the kids? If pavlova is the national dish, why can't you find it in restaurants? Brown's determination to separate myth from reality reveals a hilarious and thought-provoking look at modern New Zealand.

Kiwi Heroes brings together the tales of 50 of New Zealand's bravest people. Some are household names --some are barely known outside their own households. Some have become heroes in a moment, some over a lifetime. Some are professionals who have gone beyond the call of duty; others are ordinary people who have been plunged into terrifying circumstances and responded with astonishing bravery. Many have forfeited their lives or their livelihoods for the sake of others.