Ambition: What New Zealanders Think and Why it Matters by Julie Fry & Hayden Glass

$28.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

Many commentators say New Zealanders lack ambition, and that aspects of the New Zealandcharacter or our comfortable lives limit our achievements. We are said to be too keen on time off, too concerned about everyone fitting in, suspicious of people who try too hard, enthusiastic about humility, afraid of risk and failure, and relatively unmotivated everywhere but on the sports field. And yet Kiwis achieve at the very highest levels, both at home and overseas. This book looks at what ambition means to New Zealanders. It reviews what has been said about us over the years, and compares these comments with the results of a national survey of nearly 1,300 people conducted in mid 2018. Along the way it explains the connections between ambitionand economic performance, and the science of ambition and achievement. The book is part of a broader project, AmbitionNZ. The authors have filmed interviews with more than 150 people from all walks of life, from farmers and teachers to entrepreneurs and former Prime Ministers. A selection of these interviews will be shared on the ambition.nz website when the book is released. ...Show more

Bay Buzz

$10.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

This Farming Life by Tim Saunders

$37.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

Farmer Tim Saunders manages to incorporate some writing into his days, and here he describes his life through the seasons: Summer, shearing, slaughter, crop harvest, conservation; Autumn, floods, trading stock, drenching, dagging; Winter, maize harvest, lambing; and Spring, docking, pet sheep, weaning. It's a tough life and through his powerful, poignant writing Tim tells of his connection to the land, why he loves farming, how he's also conflicted by it and what it is that keeps him tethered to that place. ...Show more

The History Speech by Mark Sweet

$32.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

It is 1960s provincial New Zealand, and a set of upper middle class families enjoy the good life together. But just under the surface of the conventionality, there are undercurrents. Adolescent Callum Gow's father is a bully, his mother is having an affair, and there are secrets about abuse, suicide an d the past. In amongst this, Callum is trying to understand his growing identity and sexuality. His only refuge is his grandfather, but this is in danger as Callum's father has grandfather wrongfully committed as he won't agree to a merger of the family business. Callum has to resolve his internal conflicts about who he is and resist social conformity to rescue his grandfather, get himself and his mother away from his father's control and tell the truth about the past. ...Show more

Semper Fidelis by Sandra Gorter

$15.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

Planted in the sea 1200 miles from the nearest significant landmass, New Zealand was always going to be a nation of sailors. As the era of immigrants arriving by boat was coming to a close, those already there had turned again to the sea for their recreation conducting the battles of peacetime on the wa ter. First had been the Logans with their aristocrat Ariki, leading the fleet for three decades. Then came Ranger and another thirty years of men and boats battling for supremacy on the Waitemata. Gradually but surely as the sailors, designers and sailmakers learned from the innovations that were changing the world, a boat would emerge to topple the latest king of the Waitemata. But before that happened, while men still dreamed in timber, a boat did come along that was capable of toppling Ranger. As New Zealanders took their sailing skills to the world a new champion emerged, and after proving she could beat Ranger, instead of confronting the cosy competition on the Waitemata, her owner chose instead to take the competition to the greatest, most vicious ocean race in the world and win the Sydney Hobart. Little did he know that years after, having raced in every condition the Pacific Ocean had to offer, the boat, like so many Kiwis before her, would one day call Australia home, and earn her place as one of the premier classic yachts racing out of Sydney Harbour. Like the ocean she raced on, she could be fickle, harsh, uncompromising and brutal. But she was also a fabulously beautiful boat who captured the hearts and souls of all the men who owned and sailed on her. She was: Fidelis ...Show more

Tough Country by Mike Bellamy

$37.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

Mike Bellamy's father Barry is as tough as they come. Widely credited as the inspiration for Barry Crump's back-country character Sam Cash, Barry was a roving worker in rural North Island during the 50s, 60s and 70s. Tough Country is a book about a father by a son, about a bygone era of bushmen, scrub-c utters, hunters and shepherds. It's also a book about the author's own life working the land, and the characters of the 80s and 90s, from tradies and digger-drivers to drain-layers and wharfies. ...Show more

The Covid Chronicles by Paul Little

$37.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

The dramatic story of New Zealand's response to a global pandemic. For the first time in history, on 15 March 2020 the New Zealand government closed the country's borders. What followed was a story unprecedented in almost every way imaginable. Featuring Finance Minister Grant Robertson, science commun icator Siouxsie Wiles, Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult, funeral directors Francis and Kaiora Tipene, Student Volunteer Army founder Sam Johnson, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Adviser Juliet Gerrard, businesswoman Jenene Crossnan and Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly - from a kura kaupapa principal to real estate agents: The Covid Chronicles is a multi-stranded account of one of the most extraordinary times in Aotearoa's history, and the lessons we must heed for our future. ...Show more

Famous Times - Historic Woolsheds of Hawkes Bay by Angus Gordon

$50.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

The Gordon family have a historic woolshed, which was built in 1886. It has been turned into a museum to the sheep industry and has an auditorium, where shearing and dog shows are held for tourists. The idea came to Angus Gordon, one of the owners, to delve deeper into the greater Hawkes Bay area, which has been such a famous sheep farming area for over 160 years. This book is a photographic journey through the valleys and plains and along the dramatic coastline that was the original lifeline of the district. The original settlers were able to purchase large blocks of land because of the undeveloped nature of the country. Many of them became sheep barons, and then as they became wealthier, they began to build large and usually very beautiful woolsheds to shear the increasing numbers of sheep they were acquiring as they developed the land. The sheds were built of timber then, as native timber was still in plentiful supply, and they were very well built. Some had shingle roofs, and the floorboards were always tongue-and-groove Matai or Rimu. Many of these sheds have now disappeared, replaced by modern, rather soulless corrugated-iron sheds, but as the author already knew, there are an awful lot of still very well-maintained historic sheds. This book is a tribute to the farmers who have clung on to their land so tenaciously over the years of diminishing returns and diminished size but have still maintained these sheds, which are now treasures of Hawkes Bay that not many people are aware of. ...Show more

Kiwi Working Dogs by Jo Caird; Paula George

$40.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

Jo Caird and Paula George take us on a journey inside the world of New Zealand's working dogs: celebrating the incredibly diverse roles they play in our society and the difference they make in so many people's lives. Including the much-loved farm dogs, this book explores the sniffer dogs trained for fro ntline duty at the airport or in prison, dogs trained to protect our native birds, rescue victims in emergencies and even a companion dog who can alert a young diabetic girl that she needs to take her insulin. ...Show more

ICONZ by Belinda Ellis

$20.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction | Reading Level: very good

ICONZ is an encyclopaedic collection of 64 illustrated graphic icons cataloguing New Zealand's popular culture and identity. The book takes an affectionate look at what New Zealanders hold dear, and is intended for the local market, nostalgic expats abroad and visiting tourists alike. An abundance of ex isting material brandishing 'kiwiana' in various guises - not all, but much of it kitsch - led Belinda Ellis, one of the country's leading graphic designers, to create this iconic look at New Zealand identity. Her intention was to create a recognisable New Zealand brand that would truly stand out. The project's point of difference is in its quality of design and production standards, as well as in its uniformity of look. ICONZ pushes past 'kiwiana', to depict iconic New Zealanders, Maoridom, cuisine, products and pastimes, as well as comparable aspects of our flora and fauna. The suite of icons is to be for commercial publication and application under the trademark, ICONZ. This book is intended to serve as the foundation of the project, showcasing the icons in an illustrated book with high production values. Concurrently with the book's publication, and under the same trademark, the icons have been applied to a range of retail merchandise: art-quality prints and stationery; clothing and accessories; household items; even chocolates. ...Show more

This Is Us - New Zealanders in our own words by Pete Carter

$40.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction

This is Us is a collection of over 200 brief interviews with New Zealanders, spanning the length and breadth of the country; from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island. It was written in response to the Christchurch terrorist attack but is not about it; it is instead a representation of the New Zealand people i n their own words. A celebration of the diverse, open, and inclusive communities that exist across New Zealand, This is Us inspires hope by showing the kindness and spirit of everyday people. Each interview provides a snapshot of the subject's life, accompanied by a photographic portrait. The joy interviewees felt in telling their stories shines from the page. Each of the interviewees has a unique story to tell, and to have them collected in one place creates an engaging and insightful reading experience that will delight anyone interested in finding out more about Kiwi society and culture. Carter spoke with characters from a variety of professions, age groups and cultural backgrounds. From a New Zealander with a long line of Kiwi ancestors, to a person with a Maori name but Italian and Brazilian parents, this collection reflects the ethnic diversity and cultural riches of New Zealand. This is Us is a tribute to the Kiwi spirit. ...Show more

Black Boots - New Zealand Rugby Legends by Phill Gifford; Barry Durrant

$50.00 NZD

Category: NZ Non-Fiction | Reading Level: new

Over 200 photographs from a classic era of NZ rugby - 1950s-early 1990s, many unusual images from behind the scenes. Fascinating (and funny) captions from renowned rugby writer Phil Gifford. Perfect gift for the nostalgia-loving rugby fan - will bring back many great memories of AB greats and tours.