New Zealand Biographies

Haunting and searingly beautiful, Erebus has attracted explorers, mountaineers, artists, and scientists; each drawn to the mountain by their own particular vision or curiosity. The mountain is a truly unique geological phenomenon — an active volcano sheathed in ice, with hundreds of ice caves, steaming towers 6 metres high around its summit, and a lava lake. Also, in the minds...

In 1966, engineers had a mainly technical role. Fast forward to 2016, and advancing technology had revolutionised the profession, allowing more comprehensive and sophisticated investigations, testing, and analyses. In addition, changes in legislation and the expectations of society have meant that civil engineers are now expected to become involved in public consultation and consider the environmental impacts of projects. Engineering...

Joseph Kinsey is not a name many of us know— or not as well as we know the name Robert Falcon Scott. But from his base in Christchurch, Kinsey—book and art collector, philanthropist, science enthusiast, businessman—forged deep connections with the Antarctic expeditions and the explorers themselves through his tireless work as the agent for various expeditions. Two other New Zealanders...

In the Wendon Valley of Southland, life in the 1950s and 60s was shaped by land, weather, family and community. It was a hard place to make a living, but a rich place to grow up. In Echoes of a Wendon Valley Boy, Doug Miller reflects on his childhood and teenage years with humour and affection. From farm work and...

The photographer Ans Westra, who died in 2023, took hundreds of thousands of images over her long career. Together, those images constitute what is arguably a photo album of Aotearoa. Her dedication and determination sometimes came at a cost but she was focused and driven, overcoming a difficult childhood in the Netherlands and later complex adult relationships to forge her...

Len Lye, the artist and film-maker, wrote this colourful account of his early years in New Zealand. It covers his most intense experiences during the first two-dozen years of his life, including his childhood years at the Cape Campbell lighthouse, his passion for drawing, his exploration of sex, and his discovery of modern art. Lye documented his experiences in crisp,...

In his debut essay collection, award-winning Filipino-Kiwi essayist Joseph Trinidad explores the lessons of his grandmother’s chicken farm and his grandfather’s lucky golden fish; the vibrancy of his home country and its rites of passage such as tuli, beauty pageants and national Boy Scout jamborees; the contradictions of Aotearoa, which welcomes his family’s labour but insists they leave their mother...

Entertaining and Revealing In this frank and inspiring memoir, Neven talks about his early life, and his extraordinary success as a rugby player. A lock and number eight, Neven represented Wellington at a provincial level, before achieving the ultimate in New Zealand rugby—wearing the revered All Black jersey. His contemporaries included Tiny White, Don Clarke, Wilson Whineray, Kelvin Tremain, Colin...

In 1994, director Peter Jackson released the film Heavenly Creatures, based on a famous 1950s matricide committed in New Zealand by two teenage girls embroiled in an obsessive relationship. This film launched Jackson's international career. It also forever changed the life of Anne Perry, an award-winning, bestselling crime writer, who at the time of the film's release was publicly outed...

In 1971, a band of young English and colonial adventurers piled into an old Bedford truck called Monty and set out from London with little money, no plan, and a hunger for something bigger than home. Over four unforgettable months, they crossed deserts and borders, jungles and cities, travelling from Morocco to Durban and learning, sometimes the hard way, what...

The Dwarf Who Moved and Other Remarkable Tales From a Life in the Law offers a profound glimpse into the life and career of New Zealand's pre-eminent criminal barrister, Sir Peter Williams QC. Known for his fearless advocacy in the courtroom, Williams reflects on the transformative periods within New Zealand's judicial and penal systems. Throughout his distinguished career, Sir Peter...

What do you do when your father can’t say the word love, when words like 'I cherish you' ring like a threat and happiness hinges on who has the upper hand? And how does a daughter reconcile with such a father on his deathbed? This could be any family—but when the patriarch is a Dalmatian New Zealander the result can...

As a boy, Tony had drawn maps and diagrams and medieval battle scenes. He'd read fairy tales and been enchanted by local sites of Māori history. As a young man, he was a vagrant on the streets of Paris, was twice imprisoned, spent time in a mental hospital, battled destructive addictions, and experienced unrequited love and loneliness. All of this...

One afternoon, journalist Hazel Phillips decided to close her laptop and head for the hills. She then spent the next three years living in mountain huts and tramping alone for days at a time, all the while holding down a full-time job. As she ranged from Arthur's Pass and the Kaimanawa Forest Park to the Ruahine Range and Fiordland, she...

The if of death is certain. The when is unknown. It is the why that really gets people's interest... From a rare and deadly amniotic avalanche to a victim of roasted peanuts... The bestselling author of The Cause of Death and The Quick and the Dead returns with more stranger-than-fiction stories of death, disease, and murder—as well as new perspectives...

Lloyd Geering is one of New Zealand's foremost thinkers, a man of clarity and vision who continues to present new and challenging ideas about the spiritual life of the culture he lives in. His life almost spans the twentieth century, and his stories of growing up in the Depression, cycling trips around the country, and a lively but impoverished student...

A Natural Year follows writer Wendyl Nissen's life in the peaceful New Zealand countryside over one year. It's the story of what happens in her garden, her kitchen, and her life over twelve months, and the thoughts inspired by each passing season. She writes about the freedom that she has found in ageing and the joy that comes along with...

In 1940, 28-year-old Jack Elworthy left to fight in Europe. He would return seven years later, changed forever. Like many soldiers, Jack had experienced the best and worst of human nature—from the kindness and bravery of Crete civilians to the unimaginable horrors of Dachau. He escaped from Greece as the Nazis rolled in, fought and was captured in Crete, and...

An award-winning journalist tells her haunting family story. Diana Wichtel was born in Vancouver. Her mother was a New Zealander, her father a Polish Jew who had jumped off a train to the Treblinka death camp and hidden from the Nazis until the end of the war. When Diana was 13, she moved to New Zealand with her mother, sister...

Text Two Hundred And Fifty Ways To Start An Essay About Captain Cook

Tamaki Makaurau 2025 is a city in flux. Its people and places are in a constant state of change as they evolve into the millennium. To capture a sliver of Auckland in time, this collection offers space for twelve distinct voices from across the isthmus to share personal reflections, pulling from the past to see the city in the present....

'A book of great openness and courage' - Sir John Kirwan Country boy and television host Matt Chisholm seemed to have it all. With a plum job on TV and a great family, his future looked bright. But behind the happy facade, Matt was barely coping, driving himself into the ground with work and withdrawing from everyone but his family....

Art historian Mary Kisler grew up in the early 1950s with a father who talked little, whose affection she cherished and whose anger she feared. She later came to understand the trauma that lay behind his dark moods: rejection and violence in his childhood and the brutal experience of being a prisoner of war in Italy and then Germany from...

Updated with new chapters and written with her trademark deadpan humour, Urzila's memoir is full of ripping yarns about both the big and the little things in life. Urzila's accidental beginning in stand-up has led to an incredibly successful career in comedy, with regular gigs on Channel 10's Have you Been Paying Attention? in Australia and 7 Days in New...

In this personal account, Lilia Tarawa exposes the shocking secrets of the cult, with its rigid rules and oppressive control of women. She describes her fear when her family questioned Gloriavale's beliefs and practices. When her parents fled with their children, Lilia was forced to make a desperate choice: to stay or to leave. No matter what she chose, she...

'An unforgettable love story set in perilous circumstances. It is a reminder that even in the most horrific times love will find a way and ultimately conquer. I can't recommend it enough.' Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz In the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe, two people meet fleetingly in a chance encounter. One is an underground resistance fighter;...

This memoir is the story of my extraordinary childhood and its effects on my adult life. It covers eight early years living in a large Victorian house with my younger siblings, dominated and manipulated by a psychotic nanny who was addicted to opioids. She abused us physically, mentally, and sexually, but we were so entirely in thrall to her that...

A significant new biography of Ralph Hotere provides the compelling life story of this major New Zealand artist. Vincent O'Sullivan's compelling, nuanced portrait of the great New Zealand artist Ralph Hotere brings the man and his art to life. Ralph Hotere (Te Aupouri and Te Rarawa; 1931-2013) was one of Aotearoa's most significant modern artists. Hotere invited the poet, novelist...

An unforgettable, insightful and deeply humane memoir from a New Zealand paediatrician who has committed his life to the care and wellbeing of young people. ‘There is always a baby for whom you can feel happy at what they have achieved, or sad when things go wrong. There are always parents to help through an incredible journey . . ....

A powerful new collection of non-fiction by contemporary Māori writers. Nga Kupu Wero brings together a bounty of essays, articles, commentary and creative non-fiction on the political, cultural and social issues that challenge us today. From colonisation to identity, from creativity to mātauranga Māori, over 60 writers explore the power of the word. Accept the challenge of the wero. Join...

Inspiring peanut butter recipes plus everything you might want to know about your favourite spread and the characters behind the much-loved Pic's brand. Recipes and more from Pic's Peanut Butter. As well as giving a fabulous range of tasty peanut butter recipes, both sweet and savoury, this book tells stories about how the brand got started. From the early days,...

Sophie Merkens takes us on a journey across Aotearoa, meeting 35 inspiring women who find meaning and connection through food. From mothers, gardeners, hunters, chefs, and hobbyists, their conversations dive deep into how food influences their lives. Grow - Wahine Finding Connection Through Food is a refreshingly honest and insightful book about women, food, and connection. Food is a central...

Neville Peat has been a New Zealand writer for over 50 years, and during his working life has visited many of the islands within Aotearoa's marine realm, from the tropics to Antarctica. This book is about these islands, including Stewart Island/Rakiura, Anchor Island in Tamatea/Dusky Sound, Kapiti Island and Tiritiri Matangi in the Hauraki Gulf. Further afield, the book also...

An extraordinary memoir of an immigrant son's story of a better future. In 1962, a Samoan family journeyed to New Zealand—a country immigrants once called 'the land of milk and honey'—in search of a better life. Instead, their eldest son, Vitale, arrived in an era of dawn raids by police and immigration officials, and faced endless racism and bullying at...

A heart-wrenching multigenerational family memoir by an excommunicated member of the Exclusive Brethren. After coming out as gay, Craig Hoyle was excommunicated from the New Zealand Exclusive Brethren and forced to say goodbye to his family forever. The conservative sect was everything he'd ever known—a childhood where television, pop music, sports, and even pets were against the rules. Joining public...

Gardens teach us to live in the moment. They nourish us, provide solace in grief, and offer sanctuary from the stresses of modern life. In a celebration of the healing power of nature, New Zealand gardening guru Lynda Hallinan focuses on the gentle delights that bring joy to our backyards, from birdsong to seasonal beauty. Slowing down, letting go, working...

I never did see huia foraging about on the trunk of a tall tree fern, but I knew a man who had. Ray Ching, 2024 The beautiful forest-dwelling huia, presumed extinct these hundred or more years, hold a special place in the affections of New Zealanders. The old forests are silent now to the call of these beautiful birds, the...

A raw and honest story of alcoholism, recovery and courage in the face of loss Hayley Holt grew up in the public eye. Now it's time to share her side of the story. After breaking free from the strict dance schedule of her childhood, in her late teens Hayley found freedom at the bottom of a bottle: she became confident,...

Missing Persons by Steve Braunias is a compelling collection of twelve extraordinary tales of disappearance, showcasing the masterful true crime writing of New Zealand's award-winning author. Within its pages, you will encounter the chilling story of former journalist Murray Mason, found dead in the Auckland Domain. Delve into the mysterious death of Socksay Chansy, discovered lifeless in a graveyard by...

This gripping biography of Air Commodore Keith 'Grid' Caldwell CBE, MC, DFC & Bar, Croix de Guerre, tells the story of his remarkable exploits during the First World War. Flying single-seat fighters against the best of the German air force, including the Red Baron's Flying Circus and airmen such as Werner Voss, Caldwell accumulated 26 victories in aerial combat. Over...

Funny, elegiac and chilling, these essays from award-winning New Zealand writer Mohamed Hassan blend storytelling, memoir, and non-fiction to map the experience of being Muslim in the 21st century. This is the breakout non-fiction book from award-winning New Zealand writer Mohamed Hassan. From Cairo to Takapuna, Athens to Istanbul, How to be a Bad Muslim maps the personal and public...

Farmer Kane Brisco's tools for the physical and mental strains of life on the land. 'Kane's journey of wisdom is both relatable and of high value' - DOUG AVERY, The Resilient Farmer When Kane Brisco was at his lowest ebb, he could barely even look at his stock. He stood in the middle of a paddock, with water flowing over...

The number-one bestseller The story of how an extraordinary childhood shaped an extraordinary life On the West Coast of the South Island, past deep fiords and snow-capped mountains, Chris Long grew up two days' hike from the nearest road. He was born into the country's most isolated family, his parents committed to freedom from capitalist society and connection to the...

Yarns on a life lived at a million miles, from beloved broadcaster, podcaster and go-getter Brodie Kane First up: this is absolutely not a guide to life. I've done some impressive stuff, but I've also slept on the floor of an old Greek man's house and lost my dignity in the Brunei jungle. I say yes to everything this life...

An Exquisite Legacy is a compelling biography that delves deep into the life and achievements of George Vernon Hudson, one of New Zealand's most celebrated naturalist-artists. Written by his grandson, Dr George Gibbs, a prominent entomologist himself, this book offers an intimate and richly detailed portrait of Hudson's extraordinary dedication to the study and illustration of New Zealand’s insect fauna....

Lost and Found by Toni Street is an inspiring and heartfelt memoir that delves into a life marked by unimaginable loss, profound love, and unwavering resilience. Toni Street, a celebrated New Zealand television personality, might be known for her friendly on-air demeanour, but behind her cheerful exterior lies a story steeped in heartache and perseverance. From the tragedies that struck...

'Few ministers have such influence and make the impact and contribution Steven Joyce did. We knew him as Mr Fix-It; the press gallery called him the Minister for Everything; but the public saw it more simply. He was the guy who got the stuff they wanted done, and he did it in spades and with style.' - Sir John Key...

“She writes just like she talks, and her autobiography is full of glorious little anecdotes relayed in that blunt, often hilarious, style.” - Sunday Star Times “A rollicking story of a life well lived” - Petra Bagust “This is the story of becoming Suzy D - in all her determined, triumphant and unabashed singularity” - John Campbell Susan Devoy loved...

In Tikanga, authors Francis and Kaiora Tipene delve deeply into the harmonious blend of traditional Māori values and contemporary living, offering readers a rare and insightful glimpse into their daily lives. This enlightening book paints a vivid picture of how the Tipenes incorporate the rich and profound aspects of te ao Māori into every facet of their existence. Following the...

A milestone collection to celebrate a milestone event - 50 years publishing in NZ! To celebrate 50 years of publishing in Aotearoa New Zealand, The Penguin New Zealand Anthology brings together 50 enthralling stories from some of the country's finest writers. From established authors to new, emerging names, these stories track the changing styles, voices and preoccupations explored through the...

Northern Irish-born, Kiwi by choice, Nic's lived through cancer, the death of her three-year-old daughter Kenzie, Parkinson's, and a heart transplant—yet, somehow, she still gets up swinging. Out of that chaos came Kenzie's Gift, the charity she founded to help children and young people whose parent or sibling has died or is seriously ill. Two decades on, it's supported thousands...

Why cook at home when you can order in? Only 50 years ago, pure methamphetamine was legally prescribed in New Zealand to anyone looking for a boost. But it wasn't long before P was rebranded as the most dangerous and destructive drug in the world - and New Zealanders were cemented as among its biggest users. With dry wit and...

A DEEPLY PERSONAL AND UNIVERSALLY RESONANT STORY OF HOW ONE CHILD’S EARLY YEARS TRANSFORMED EVERYTHING HIS MOTHER THOUGHT SHE KNEW — ABOUT SYSTEMS, CARE AND HERSELF.When Karina McHardy’s son was diagnosed with severe autism as a toddler, she devoted herself to nurturing his potential. But as it became clear the support he needed didn’t exist, she stepped away from the...

With his sharp wit and poet's eye, Tim Heath writes of a forty-year career, mostly in New Zealand but also in Samoa. He's worked in small country schools, in big city schools, at the Correspondence School, in primary schools and in secondary schools. He's been a principal and a deputy principal. Teaching wasn't his first choice, but once in the...

The unsolved mystery of who killed Jeanette and Harvey Crewe in their Pukekawa farmhouse in 1970 continues to fascinate. It remains one of the most controversial cases in New Zealand legal history. The murders spawned two trials, two appeals, several books, a royal commission, a film, and—eventually—official findings of police corruption that shocked New Zealanders. It also resulted in a...

The daring adventures of a New Zealand search and rescue Pilot. The daring adventures of a New Zealand search and rescue Pilot. 'Somewhere, up ahead, a person is bleeding, but you have to put that out of your mind. Your job is negotiating with time and space. You have your clock, that person has their own, and in the end,...

Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail is the funny, illuminating diary of a year in the life of a New Zealand farm vet. With a husband and two children, 1200 sheep and 400 cattle, farm dogs and pet lambs, pigs bent on excavation, and a goat bent on escape, country life is never dull. From calving cows to constipated dogs,...

Abbey and Money Singh are better known as The Modern Singhs, Kiwi social media celebrities with a rich and tangled love story to tell. Shared through the eyes of this inspiring duo, The Modern Singhs reveals their experiences as migrants to New Zealand as they struggled to find footing in new surroundings. They describe how they met and pursued a...

The Black Widow almost got away with murder. But then her sister-in-law became suspicious... The infamous Black Widow case shocked the nation. An average-looking suburban housewife carefully staged her husband's 'suicide'. At first, it looked like she might get away with murder, but then her sister-in-law, Lee-Anne Cartier, became suspicious and started gathering evidence and presenting it to the police....

A memoir from award-winning writer and inspirational speaker Tim Tipene. Tim founded the Warrior Kids programme 22 years ago. Himself the product of rape, he spent a miserable childhood in which he was abused by both his birth and foster families. His courses now empower families and children, and this memoir is a recollection of his life, raised in violence....

How farming helped Tangaroa Walker to stand up, stand out and realise his own dreams. The awesomely inspiring true story of how Tangaroa Walker turned his life around through farming - and how what he learned can help anyone succeed. Tangaroa Walker's early years were pretty rough. Adopted twice, he went to six different schools by the time he was...

The Farm is a lyrical and entertaining journey to the heart of rural life in New Zealand from one of our greatest living writers. When Bruce Ansley visited a friend on a sheep farm on Banks Peninsula, they pointed out a property for sale, down by the water. Down a drive curving through sycamores, oaks, and rhododendrons, there was a...

From the writer who brought you Tinderbox, a book about a woman trying to write a book, comes Things I Learned at Art School, a memoir by a woman who has never kept a diary. Until now. Part memoir, part essay collection, Megan Dunn's ingenious, moving, hilariously personal Things I Learned at Art School tells the story of her early...

Throughout her childhood, Tess Redgrave knew she had a 'mad' grandmother who made repeated visits to a mental asylum. But it wasn't until her thirties, years after her Nanie had died and in the depths of her own crippling depression, that Tess was prompted to find out more. What she unearthed was an explosive family story of madness and secrecy...

From the little people of Hawai‘i to the love story of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai in Rotorua, Pacific storytelling is embodied in this classic collection. Passed down orally for centuries as peoples spread out across the Pacific, these myths and legends were retold by the great A.W. Reed and are accompanied by colour illustrations from noted artist Jenny Cooper in this...

It was winter. Lauren Keenan was separated from her husband, lonely, and miserable. Then came the night of Twenty-Seven Rejections of Doom: she asked twenty-seven people to hang out one Friday night, and every single person said no. Lauren realised her life wasn't working for her and that she needed to change it. It was time to try something new....

This Compulsion in Us by Tina Makereti stands at the foot of her mounga and pays careful attention to tohu. With her tūpuna at her elbow she casts around for home, meets taonga in museums, and writes her way towards her father. She walks through the darkness with others, in awe of Te Kore, Te Pō and Te Ao Mārama—a...

Part autobiography, part memoir, part quest, lauded writer Lloyd Jones’s The Beaded Curtain is a trenchant exploration of the artist as witness. The text gets about from Jones’s Lower Hutt childhood and youthful wanderings across the USA to formative experiences such as seeing clothes from Hiroshima and his encounters with the Jewish Memorial in Berlin. From the hills of the...

For over thirty years Shane Cotton (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Hine, Te Uri Taniwha) has developed a rigorous and evolving painting practice, using the medium to layer the visual languages through which Aotearoa can be seen and understood. In this book, leading art writer Anthony Byrt takes us on a voyage into Te Tai Tokerau to unravel the relationships, landscapes...

A lusciously illustrated hardback chronicling the artist’s creation of Greymouth’s famous pink church, Gloria. In 2020, sculptor and poet Sam Duckor-Jones bought an abandoned church in Greymouth and named her Gloria. With yarn-bombed rafters, a costume bazaar, a plush loft, papier-mâché parishioners in the pews, and pink neon light bouncing off a rhinestone piano, Gloria has become a celebration of...

Eighty million years in the making. When Ann and Mike Spratt stood on a hill on Waiheke Island, they didn't see a vineyard. They saw a quirk of nature. A north-facing amphitheatre-shaped valley that could trap and reflect heat. They were told making world-class Cabernet blends in New Zealand was a fool's errand. They were told the standards they set...

New Zealand's courtrooms have seen few figures as formidable—or as enduring—as Stuart Grieve KC. Over five decades of criminal law and trial advocacy, Stuart has had a front-row seat for the cases that have gripped the nation: the notorious Peter Plumley-Walker murder trials, the Springbok Tour clowns case, the Gisborne Cervical Cancer Inquiry, and the Erebus Royal Commission among them....

'Every Prime Minister needs someone who will challenge them - and that was you.' So said Jacinda Ardern to Andrew Campbell on his final day as her Chief Press Secretary. Now, for the first time, Campbell offers a revealing insider's account of one of New Zealand's most extraordinary political eras. Serving alongside Ardern for almost her entire time in office,...

Folly 004 is the fourth issue of the independent New Zealand literary journal that Whitcoulls pulled from its shelves and everyone else sold out of. This issue turns its attention to desire, relationships, and what it currently costs to be a person. Inside you will find fiction, essays, poetry, and visual art from New Zealand and international contributors, chosen on...

One Soul, One Survivor tells Debbs Murray’s harrowing yet ultimately uplifting journey. A life of adversity, and extreme violence in adulthood ended in her courageous escape. Her partner’s use of multiple forms of violence resulted in her entrapment, and the rearing of a deep courage she did not know that she had. Using all that she could summon, she broke...

Wild horses spend their lives building and maintaining social bonds, moving together in synchrony, their communication constant and subtle. In domestication, we isolate them – move them from paddock to stable to yard – separating them from their companions for our convenience, then find them fragile, anxious and difficult to handle. An immersive and transporting memoir, Perfectly Themselves offers intimate...

John Summers’ worst nightmare is getting lost in the bush. He has always carefully – myopically, even – followed the track. Death lurks at the edge of his fear, as well as cold, hunger, loneliness and even humiliation. But what is the experience of being lost in the New Zealand bush actually like? Summers talks to those who have survived...