TOI TE MANA: An Indigenous History of Māori Art
by Deidre Brown & Ngarino Ellis with Jonathan Mane-Wheoki (Auckland University Press)
Groundbreaking, years in the making, monumental in scale – 600 pages, 500-plus images, weighing in at 4kg, this is the most comprehensive survey of mahi toi ever created. It extends across the arts, from weaving to tattoo, architecture and digital media, written by experts in the field.
WOOLSHEDS: The Historic Shearing Sheds of Aotearoa New Zealand
by Annette O’Sullivan & Jane Ussher (Massey University Press)
Woolsheds are embedded in our economic, social, cultural and architectural history, finds this survey of 15 classic shearing sheds spread across the country. Jane Ussher’s loving portraits of the sheds, some built in the early days of sheep farming and others during the boom years at the end of the 19th and the early-20th century, are led in by an illustrated history of sheep shearing and the wool trade.
HERBST: Architecture in Context
by John Walsh (Massey University Press)
In the past two decades, Lance and Nicola Herbst, despite originally hailing from South Africa, have become associated with a certain kind of contemporary northern NZ holiday home. Handsomely designed, sympathetic to the environment and constructed largely from timber and masonry, they are built to withstand our sun, rain and wind. The architectural writer John Walsh and able photographers explain the Herbst architectural oeuvre, in an extremely artful hardback.
BOLD TYPES: Indie Bookshops of Aotearoa New Zealand
by Jane Ussher, Jemma Moreira, Deborah Coddington (Ugly Hill Press)
Author-publisher Deborah Coddington had long wanted to make this book. It’s not a history, nor is it a comprehensive guide to the country’s independent bookshops. Rather, it’s a homage to the “literary matchmakers” who run them and the “beauty and quirk” of the shops. It ventures north to south, coast to coast, visiting 32 and asking their owners why and how they do what they do, and the role they play in communities.
KAHURANGI: The Nature of Kahurangi National Park and Northwest Nelson
by Dave Hansford (Potton & Burton)
The biodiversity hotspot – plants, animals, geology – of Kahurangi, occupying 5000sq km in the top left of the South Island, is celebrated in science and environmental writer Dave Hansford’s account. As well as great photos, the book is full of fascinating facts, such as that 40% of our insect fauna lives in the alpine zone, wētā die at -10°C and that the unfortunate female alpine tiger moth never leaves her cocoon.
MODERN WOMEN: Flight of Time
by Julia Waite (Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki)
Through more than 120 illustrations, and essays profiling 44 artists by art writers, curators and teachers, this book highlights New Zealand modernist art made by women between 1920 and 1970. It has been published in tandem with an exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki until February. The book attempts to de-silo modern NZ art from the modernisms happening elsewhere, exploring the many connections beyond this country and exceptional examples of modern art made elsewhere that now call NZ home.
A WILD LIFE: Photographs from the Backcountry of Aotearoa
by Shaun Barnett (Potton & Burton)
The brilliant photographs of the country’s most remote spots convey storied author and photographer Shaun Barnett’s love for the land in his final book. It’s filled with his spectacular shots of peaks and valleys, forests, flora, animal life and basic remote huts. In his tramping career, Barnett, who died just as the book was going to press, had visited more than 1000 huts and climbed many of the country’s significant mountains.
SWEET SPOT: 36
Iconic Golf Courses that Celebrate the Best of New Zealand
by Michael Donaldson & Phil Hamilton (Sweet Spot Golf)
Stylish, informative guide, twin hardbacks in a slip case, showcasing some of the nation’s best courses across both islands, handpicked by journalist-golfers Donaldson and Hamilton. With photography by Arno Gasteiger taken from the perspective of players, it aims to showcase the unique fairway-and-green splendour from 90 Mile Beach to Paraparaumu, Nelson and St Clair.
CLASSIC AOTEAROA: New Zealand Architecture Through a Photographer’s Eye
by MikiNobu Komatsu (Jap-Art Productions)
Japanese-Australian photographer’s 1980s tribute to NZ buildings.
A DIFFERENT LIGHT: First Photographs of Aotearoa
by Hammond Higgins (Auckland University Press)
Early photographs of people and places from the collections of three major national libraries.
EDITH COLLIER: Early NZ Modernist
by Jill Trevelyan, Jennifer Taylor & Greg Donson (Massey University Press)
Sumptuously illustrated survey pays overdue tribute to the early 20th-century artist from Whanganui.
FORCE OF NATURE: A conservation history of Forest & Bird 1923-2023
by David Young & Naomi Arnold (Potton & Burton)
Illustrated history of the country’s oldest national conservation charity.
THE HUIA & OUR TEARS
by Ray Ching (Bateman)
Words and images tribute to our extinct forest-dweller by the Kiwi expat artist, a specialist in bird paintings.
IDENTIFICATION GUIDE TO THE FERNS AND LYCOPHYTES OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
by Leon Perrie & Patrick Brownsey (Te Papa Press)
Clear, well-illustrated guide to the nation’s cherished native ferns and related plants.
THE INVASION OF WAIKATO
by Vincent O’Malley (Bridget Williams Books)
A complete, illustrated picture of the regional war, its prelude, clashes, aftermath and legacy.
LESLIE ADKIN: Farmer Photographer
by Athol McCredie (Te Papa Press)
Levin farmer and photographer Adkin’s documentary photographs of family and beyond from 1900-1930s, part of Te Papa’s collections.
A MAN HOLDS A FISH
by Glenn Busch (Te Papa Press)
Collection of unidealised, direct images of blue-collar workers and “ordinary people” by the acclaimed photographer.
THE NEAR WEST: A History of Grey Lynn, Arch Hill and Westmere
by Tania Mace (Massey University Press)
Local history employing copious research and lots of historical images.
POUTINI: The Ngāi Tahu History of the West Coast
by Paul Madgwick (Oratia Books)
Illustrated account of the region’s mythology, migration and settlement.
RESETTING COORDINATES: An Anthology of Performance Art in Aotearoa New Zealand
by Christopher Braddock et al (Massey University Press)
50-year survey of the country’s performance art.
THE SEDUCTION OF THE HONEYBEE
by Craig P Burrows (Blackwell & Ruth)
Up-close ultraviolet-shot showcase of our furry honey-making friends and their flowers.
TE HAU KĀINGA: The Māori Home Front during the Second World War
by Angela Wanhalla et al (Auckland University Press)
The vital roles played by those who stayed at home, and how WWII keenly shaped Māori society.
TE WHARE O REHUA SARJEANT GALLERY: A Whanganui Biography
by Martin Edmond (Massey University Press)
Rich account of the gallery, its works and its 10-year redevelopment.
A WELCOME ADVENTURE: Into the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, 1977
by Victoria Ginn (Blue Matriarch)
The Kiwi art photographer’s “poetic memoir” of her travels as a 23-year-old.
