Oratia Media marks 25 years with launch of Five Oceans imprint

 

Oratia Media is celebrating its 25^th birthday, having been founded on 31 August 2000 by Peter Dowling and Alessandra Zecchini in Oratia, West Auckland. 

 

Initially a publishing services business for clients in New Zealand, Japan and Europe, Oratia Media later broadened its scope, while Peter maintained a full-time role at Reed Publishing (NZ).

Alessandra Zecchini

Business included cooking classes, food writing and styling, managing charity Te Potiki National Trust, business and travel journalism, teaching, translation and contract publishing. 

Hard work over those early years laid the foundation for the company’s own publishing under the Oratia Books brand. Since 2008 it has published more than 220 own and commissioned books. 

Peter Dowling

‘Sincere thanks to our team and all the authors, illustrators, clients, photographers, editors, designers, distributors, printers, booksellers, librarians, teachers, students, reviewers and readers who have been with us on this journey,’ the founders said today. 

 

Oratia Books’ philosophy is to publish and keep in print new and classic works, marketing across New Zealand with active distribution and rights deal worldwide. 

The Treaty of Waitangi, Margaret Mahy Book of the Year 2025 

That international approach led in 2021 to the BOP Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publisher in Oceania. A further accolade came this month with Ross Calman’s The Treaty of Waitangi named Margaret Mahy Book of the Year in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. 

 

To mark its 25^th anniversary, Oratia Books is launching a new international imprint, Five Oceans. This new list will bring literary non-fiction and children’s books to Oceania from cultures whose works are under-represented in English, let alone in Polynesian languages. 

 

First comes The Ant Rebellion, a bestselling junior novel from Turkey, in October, then Finnish picture book Thank you, Forest in November. Books from India and Norway are next up in 2026. 

‘We look forward to extending Oratia’s activities to all five oceans of our planet,’ said Peter, who is developing the imprint with Rome-based Maria Leonardi, international rights manager.

 

‘With Five Oceans, we aim to bring outstanding writing and illustration into our languages, while encouraging cultural exchange to and from Aotearoa.’

Ross Calman's The Treaty of Waitangi is Margaret Mahy Book of the Year

Ross Calman at Wednesday's ceremony in Wellington (courtesy New Zealand Book Awards Trust/Vijay Paul) 

Ngā mihi nui ki a Ross Calman — Hearty congratulations to Ross Calman!

Ross's book The Treaty of Waitangi won the coveted Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults ceremony in Wellington this past Wednesday 13 August. 

The Treaty of Waitangi also won the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction. 

Oratia Books editorial director Carolyn Lagahetau with Ross Calman at the awards night

'On behalf of everyone at Oratia, our warmest mihis to Ross Calman on this achievement,' said Oratia Books publisher Peter Dowling. 

'Ross has made a significant contribution to books in Aotearoa over more than 25 years, and our publishing relationship dates back to when I was starting as a senior editor at Reed Publishing (NZ). This honour is welcome recognition of his talents and mahi. 

'My sincere thanks to the hard-working judges and organisers of the awards, and to the Oratia team behind both this book and the rest of The NZ Series — especially editorial director Carolyn Lagahetau and designer Sarah Elworthy.'

Congratulations to all the award winners!

An essential guide to wood carving from esteemed craftsman Stephen Myhre

Wood Carving: Tools, Techniques & Concepts

Stephen Myhre

After spending decades devoted to the art of carving, acclaimed New Zealand artist Stephen Myhre shares his expertise in his second book,  Wood Carving: Tools, Techniques & Concepts.

This how-to guide covers every aspect of wood carving from selecting the right wood to understanding patterns and achieving the perfect finish. 

‘The kaupapa (purpose) of this new book is to meet the need for a coherent description of how to prepare, maintain and use a set of wood-carving tools to produce competent, good-quality work,’ Myhre writes.

‘Not all carvers need to become professionals, so this book is not aimed at them, but there are still many who want to carve and the teaching resources to do so are few and far between.’

Wood Carving surveys the diversity and richness of European, Māori, and South Pacific carving styles, applying traditional and modern techniques to create pieces including a waka huia (treasure box). 

Superb colour photos take the reader through every step of the carving process, and include examples of the author’s finished work. 

Like his first book Bone Carving: A Skillbase of Techniques and Concepts, which was in print for over 35 years and sold more than 50,000 copies, Wood Carving will be an essential guide to this craft.

The Author

Stephen Myhre is a renowned artist who has been carving in wood, jade, bone and other materials since the 1970s. After many years living overseas and absorbing a range of Pacific, European and Asian influences, he now has his studio in Paraparaumu Beach. 

Publication Date: 14 August 2025 |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004283-6 |  RRP $49.99

Paperback, 250 x 185 mm portrait, 160 pages colour