Libro International

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2012 from Libro International

2011-12-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

Artwork by Arantxa Zecchini Dowling ©

From the team behind Libro International books - Alessandra, Carolyn, Sophie, Pat and Peter - best wishes for a

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2012!

Dal team di Libro International - Alessandra, Carolyn, Sophie, Pat e Peter - i migliori auguri di

Buon Natale e Felice Anno 2012!

Haere mai ki te wahi ipurangi o Orātia Media

2011-12-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

The Oratia Media website is now live in Te Reo Māori.
He mihi aroha ki a Vapi Kupenga i tana whakamāoritia o tō mātou wahi ipurangi. Thanks to esteemed broadcaster and reviewer Vapi Kupenga for her translation of our site.
(Vapi hosts the Thursday night talkback on Radio Waatea 603 AM).
Having the site in Te Reo (alongside English and Italian) reflects our commitment to publishing services and books that reflect the indigenous world view of Aotearoa/New Zealand.
To check the site, go to http://www.oratiamedia.com/kainga.html

Trudy Meredith’s award acceptance speech for Wiremu Pere

2011-12-04T15:52:00.001-08:00

The 2011 Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards were held on 29 November at MasseyUniversity in Palmerston North (Te Papa-i-oea). Trudy Meredith accepted the2011 NgāKupu Ora MāoriBook Award for Wiremu Pere,winner of the Te Hauronga/Biography Category, on behalf of publishing partnersthe Wi Pere Trust and Libro International.

E Papatuanuku tenakoe

E whare wanaaga o TeKunenga Ki Purehuroa, tena koe

E te Atua kaha rawa,whakawhetai ana

E nga Hunga mate,Haere Haere ki hawaikinui, hawaikiroa, Hawaiki pamamao

E nga Hunga ora TenaKoutou

Me nga Rangatirakatoa e te paepae o tenei whare wanaanga nga tumuaki Nga Kupu Ora Book Awards2011

Me nga rangatira katoa,iwi ma Tena Koutou , Tena Koutou, tena koutou katoa.

Hui e Haumi e Taiki e

Ka moe a Wi Pere aArapera Tautuhi o te Rangi

Ka puta mai a HetekiaTe Kani

Ka moe a Hetekia TeKani a Rangikohera Ranginui

Ka puta mai aRongowhakaata Halbert

Ka moe a RongowhakaataHalbert a Patehepa Tamatea

Ka puta moe aHineikoia Riripeti Halbert

Ko Taku mama

Ko Trudy MeredithTaku ingoa

It is with humilitythat I accept this award on behalf of my brother Joe, who is unable to be hereat this time, Hani Smiler, Hineiromia Whaanga, Wi Pere Trust who financed thisbook, Alan Haronga , our chairman of Wi Pere Trust for seeing the book tocompletion, Peter Dowling and Libro International, our publishers.

This book is but oneof many that our people have wished to bring into the world of light and I paytribute to those many others who have gone before me in particularRongowhakaata Halbert and his daughter Nona Haronga who first compiled HOROUTAwhich was published by Reed in 1999.

This book WIREMU PEREhas been a long time in the making but everything has its time and it wasappropriate that it was finished in 2010.

Brother Joe wasprocrastinating for a topic for his thesis and his tutor recommended he writeabout his Tipuna and his role in history, particularly in the political arena.This began a lifelong search for material, the oral histories from our auntiesand uncles who have since passed on, and the various institutes which houseddocuments pertaining to aspects of Wi Pere’s life.

In 2008, for the next18 months, my husband found me reading material and at my computer nightlyafter our daily work was completed. Late nights or early mornings were theorder of the day.

Tears came to my eyesmany times and my heart ached when I read of the unfair obstacles placed in myTipunas path. One has to really imagine being born in 1837, so few tauiwi inTuranganuiakiwa but many in parliament, the Maori wars with European and Maori,famines, floods and droughts, measles and yet this tipuna of ours was able torise from there to enter Parliament to fight for his people, and the people ofTe Tairawhiti not just his immediate whanau.

To truly know a manyou need to hear or read his actual words and yes they were outrageous, wickedand humorous. After reading his many speeches I came to know him and feel him.I remember asking my mother Hineikoia many questions about Wi Pere, and herstories were always told with love, admiration and a wicked smile. She wouldhave treasured this book but unfortunately passed away in 1969.

I felt his frustrationand indignation when anomalies were present, one rule for Europeans and onerule for Maori, like the ridiculous law - in order to vote a Maori had to belandless. However, we have moved on since then and we as Maori have moreopportunites today. The book is not an in depth investigation into all of WiPeres life because it would have made the book too long and very expensive toproduce.

I admired histenacity, his outstanding mastery of oratory, a delicious speaker according toone of his listeners….his ability to see and make new pathways which wouldbenefit his people , the tribes of Te Tairawhiti and his constituents.

I understand how WiPere must have felt as in my life I have been in places where there were fewMaoris and solutions to problems were often innovative but were welcomed inthis century yet denied in his time.

I remember 25 yearsago being confronted by a relative from another branch of my family whodenigrated my Tipuna and my head was bowed. I vowed there and then that I wouldfind all the answers, and, thanks to computers and the resources availabletoday I have found the truth and this knowledge is empowerment. The truth setme free of those feelings of sadness.

However, on hisfeelings of suffragettes, its just as well we are in different centuries as Iwould have enjoyed having heated debates on this topic.

Funnily two of hisgranddaughtersTeria and Mana were powerful speakers on the paepae.

Today we, thetrustees of the Wi Pere Trust, like our Tipuna, are always looking for newpathways to benefit the Wi Pere descendants who roughly number about 5000. Andlike him we too experience a resistance of business institutions to look atconstructive changes because they are new and control will be lost by those institutions.We are lucky to have some fine young people highly qualified and experienced togovern our trust.

It was because of WiPeres foresight that we have our incredible taonga the Wi Pere Trust, which wasset up by him by an act of parliament in 1899 and from which our entire familyhave benefited. He was also responsible for the building of Rongopai, whichmany of you may have already visited.

We are fortunate thateducation was always of paramount importance and in our parents eyes nothingwas impossible if we applied ourselves to the task and always remembered our tipunas.

We the young peopleand not so young descendants can follow his example and challenge ourselves

to excel not just forour personal benefit but for the benefit of our whanau, extended families andcommunities.

I believe that afterbeing involved in this book that

Wi Pere made adifference to many people in Aotearoa.

It is all too easy tocriticize a man or woman after they have passed on and it is right that weshould only remember the good, It is in the hands of God to judge the not sogood, not ours.

Once again I thankyou for this award on behalf of my brother Joe and everyone involved withseeing this book finally published.

Riria Mauaranui andthe other tohunga of the whare wanaanga groomed and prepared him for his role,recognising his abilities whilst in childhood.

As mothers today, wetoo are responsible for the preparation of our children and grandchildren fortheir journeys into life.

People, whanau,mokopuna were his focus which leads me to my waiata.

Hutia te Rito

Hutiate Rito o te Harakeke

Keiwhea to komako e ko

Kimai ki ahau

Heaha te mea nui

Heaha te mea nui o te ao

Makue ki atu

Hetangata, He tangata, he tangata Hei

Kiaora Tatou, tatou katoa.

Massey University: Ngā Kupu Ora Awards Celebrate Māori Publishing Milestones

Ngā Kupu Ora Maori Book Awards Appendix: additional information on winning books and authors

The Treaty of Waitangi: back in print

2011-11-17T01:49:00.001-08:00

Read Beattie's Book Blog on the release of Ross Calman's The Treaty of Waitangi today, another neat New Zealand book back in print through Libro International. Ross spoke this evening with Vapi Kupenga on Radio Watea 603 AM; kia ora i tou tautoko e Vapi, me he mihi nui ki a koe e Ross.

To the Gateways of Florence on Cartolina & Plains FM

2011-11-13T22:43:00.001-08:00

Cartolina & PlainsFM

Cartolina is the programmeof Italian culture and life that airs on PLAINS FM 96.9 every second Wednesdayat 7.30pm and repeats on the following Monday at 10.30am. You can listen toeach pro-gramme from everywhere in the world, either live or recorded on podcast, on the website

http://plainsfm.org.nz/podcasts/programme/cartolina/

9 & 14 November

Publisher Peter Dowling,and Jill and Stefano Fusi (translator and editor, respectively) talkabout the launch of the book To the Gateways of Florence, about the NewZealand forces in Tuscany in 1944, and the (now) well known episode of theliberation of the little town of Tavarnelle in Val di Pesa.

In italiano:

Cartolina & PlainsFM

Cartolina è il programma dicultura e di vita italiana trasmesso da Plains FM 96.9, ogni secondo mercoledìdalle ore 19.30, e viene ripetuto il lunedì seguente alle ore 10.30. Si possonoascoltare le puntate andate in onda da ogni angolo nel mondo, dal vivo o registratenel pod-cast, basta andare sul sito web

http://plainsfm.org.nz/podcasts/programme/cartolina/

9 & 14 novembre

L’editorePeter Dowling, e Jill and Stefano Fusi (traduttrice e revisore,rispettivamente) parlano del lancio del libro To the Gateways of Florence, suimilitari neozelandesi in Toscana nel 1944, e sull’episodio (adesso) famosodella liberazione del paese di Tavarnelle in Val di Pesa

Wiremu Pere wins Ngā Kupu Ora award

2011-11-07T00:58:00.000-08:00

We are honoured to announce that Libro International's 2010 publication Wiremu Pere has won the biography section of Ngā Kupu Ora 2011, the third Māori Book Awards.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Joseph Pere, the book's author, and Alan Haronga, who brought the book to completion through the Wi Pere Trust.

Wiremu Pere: The Life and Times of a Maori Leader, 1837–1915 is the first biography of this seminal East Coast figure.

The judging panel described this book as an “outstanding biography” that was long overdue because Wiremu Pere’s contribution to politics is “often overlooked due to the high profile of other Māori politicians of the time”, including Apirana Ngata.

Commenting on the 2011 winners, the judges commended their contribution to Māori knowledge. “In addition to excellent content and production, each of the winning books advanced our knowledge and understanding in new and different ways,” they said.

The Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards were established in 2009 by Massey University to mark Māori Language Week and to celebrate and encourage excellence in Māori publishing.

This year's awards will be presented on 29 November at a ceremony at Te Pūtahi-a-toi, Massey University’s School of Māori Studies, in Palmerston North.

Article about Warrior Kids in The Aucklander

2011-11-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Warrior kids learn to chill out

Andre Hueber | Thursday, November 3, 2011

"Waimarama Kaka's behaviour started going downhill after his parents split up.

The 10-year-old was being bullied at school, chewing on his clothes, fighting with his brothers and losing his temper at the drop of a hat - in one tantrum he put his foot through a window...."

To read the rest of this story on The Aucklander website click here.

Warrior Kids book launch – helping bring positive change to kids’ lives

2011-11-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

M E D I A R E L E A S E 3 November 2011

AUCKLAND:Tim Tipene’s compelling new book WarriorKids: Warrior Training for Children was launched last night at the WarriorKids centre in Henderson.

WarriorKids is a bold programme that teaches children self-mastery and conflictresolution through a blend of Maori and Eastern martial arts and counselling –developed by Tim Tipene over 18years of teaching around New Zealand.

Over70 invited guests gathered to launch the book – among them Labour MP and Te TaiTokerau candidate Kelvin Davis, and former Waitakere City mayor, Bob Harvey.

TimTipene told guests that when he was trying to break out of his own abusivechildhood he had found little guidance.

“WarriorKids provides a map for children in similar situations to find a way forward.

“Thebook lets teachers and educators use its lessons and techniques to targetissues like bullying, lack of confidence or abuse in the home,” he said.

Warrior Kids: Warrior Training for Children is available through good booksellers, or thepublisher’s website www.librointernational.com

For an interview, contact: TimTipene 021 525450

For more information or areview copy, contact:

Kerry Engelbrecht 021 335 132

Libro International, a division of Oratia Media

www.librointernational.com | www.oratiamedia.com

From left: Libro International publisher Peter Dowling, former Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey, Labour MP and Te Tai Tokerau candidate Kelvin Davis, Tim Tipene.

Tim Tipene signing books at the launch of Warrior Kids

Photos: Alessandra Zecchini

Frankfurt Book Fair: PANZ news

2011-10-24T02:05:00.000-07:00

Photo: Peter Dowling

Click here to read the Publisher Association of New Zealand reports on the Frankfurt Book Fair.

From the Beattie's Book Blog - Frankfurt Book Fair 2011: New Zealand publishers up the game

2011-10-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

Peter Dowling reports from Frankfurt:

On the final morning of this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, many of the New Zealand exhibitors were to be found at the Sport-Club Frankfurt 1880, along with local Kiwis and embassy staff from Berlin, watching the All Blacks take on the Wallabies....

Read the full report on the Beattie's Book Blog

Photos: Peter Dowling

Our books at Frankfurt

2011-10-14T01:35:00.000-07:00

Oratia Media is once again at the Frankfurt Book Fair, exhibiting our Libro International books and also representing Otago University Press. There is a buzz around the New Zealand stand as we look ahead to being Country of Honour in 2012.

A report will follow once the fair concludes on Sunday.

Photos: Peter Dowling

Anyong haseyo to Korean publishers

2011-10-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Libro International and parent company Oratia Media are now featured on a significant Korean website that seeks to introduce international publishers to their Korean counterparts. The Overseas Publication Information Access (OPIA) site is an initiative from the Korea Literature Translation Institute.

In the profile, we talk about our publishing vision, the role of translation in New Zealand's book market and things for Korean publishers to keep in mind for doing business with New Zealand.

To read the profile please click here.

Like Them That Dream - classic work available now from Libro International

2011-09-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

He pānui tēnei mo tētahi pukapuka whakahirahira ka whakaputa i tēnei rā - Like Them That Dream: The Maori and the Old Testament, no Bronwyn Elsmore i tuhituhia.

Today Libro International is proud to bring back to print the classic work on the interaction of Maori and Christianity after the arrival of missionaries in the early nineteenth century. And it is an honour to again work with author, Dr Bronwyn Elsmore; our thanks to her for helping bring Like Them That Dream to fruition.

The Book:

The arrival of European missionaries in New Zealandhad an immeasurable impact on Maori society. Like Them That Dream tells the intriguing story of earlyinteraction between Maori and missionary, leading to the many distinctiveresponses to the arrival of Christianity.

The book’s first two parts consider how the Christianword was spread and how Maori responded, explaining the identification theyfelt with the Israelites of the Old Testament. The third part relates the riseof indigenous religious movements, from the early Papahurihia through Pai Marire,Ringatu and the Parihaka Movement, and the later incarnations of the ArowhenuaMovement in the South Island and what remains today’s leading Maori church,Ratana.

The Author:

Bronwyn Elsmore is a recognised authority on Maori religions and earlyspiritual interaction with Christianity. Formerly a senior lecturer inreligious studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, she is also theauthor of Mana from Heaven: A Century ofMaori Prophets in New Zealand and TeKohititanga Marama: The Religion of Matenga Tamati. She lives in Auckland.

KEY Points:

Fascinating story of the interaction of Maori with Christianity
Features major religious movements including Ringatu, Ratana, the Parihaka movement
Standard reference work on the subject, made available in print-on-demand edition

Title: Like Them That Dream

The Maori and the Old Testament

author: Bronwyn Elsmore

ISBN: 978-1-877514-26-5

IMPRINT: LibroInternational

SRP: $44.99

SPECS: 234x 153 mm portrait, PB, 216 pp,

b&w with photos & map

Releasing: September2011

ORDERS: PublishersDistribution Limited

Attn: Customer Services

Tel:09 828 2999 Fax: 09 828 2399

E:orders@pubdist.co.nz

Marketing: PeterDowling

Tel: 09 814 8993

Mob:027 614 8993

E:peter@oratiamedia.com

To the Gateways of Florence: Auckland launch, hosted by Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse

2011-09-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

To the Gateways of Florence

Auckland launch hosted by Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse

8 September 2011

Penny Hulse, deputy mayor of Auckland, welcomed a crowd to the Council Chambers in the Auckland Town Hall on 8 September for a memorable evening to launch To the Gateways of Florence: New Zealand Forces in Tuscany, 1944.

A strong representation of city councillors, veterans groups (including a large contingent from the 28th Maori Battalion Association) and guests welcomed the visiting Italian delegation led by the book's editor, Florence provincial councillor Stefano Fusi, and Sestilio Dirindelli, mayor of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa. Also in attendance were Donato Scioscoli of the Italian Embassy in Wellington; Mario Magaraggia, Honorary Consul of Italy in Auckland; and Sandra Fresia, President of the Società Dante Alighieri di Auckland.

Deputy Mayor Hulse applauded the book's publication and paid tribute to the sacrifices of New Zealanders and Italians during the war.

The guests were welcomed by a moving mihi from kaumatua Fred Holloway, who also led the blessing of the book with Auckland Council tikanga advisor, Bobby Newsom. Ted Lee, president of the Auckland Italy Star Association, Sestilio Dirindelli, Stefano Fusi and publisher Peter Dowling also offered their thoughts and appreciation for the book's reception in New Zealand.

Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse with To the Gateways of Florence

Stefano Fusi (left) and Sestilio Direndelli are welcomed by kaumatua Fred Holloway (Te Kawerau a Maki)

Penny Hulse (left) with Sestilio Dirindelli and his wife Gianna Fusi; in background Graham Wiremu

Italian Campaign veterans John Johnson (left) and Les Andrews

Les Andrews reserves rapturous applause after showing, with his rendition of Torna a Surriento, he has lost none of the gifts that took him into the Kiwi Concert Party in Italy

Council tikanga advisor Bobby Newsom with kaumatua Fred Holloway bless the book

From left; Stefano, Annette Fasher-Dow, Sestilio, Jill Gabriel (the book's translator)

From left: Mario Magaraggia, Sestilio Dirindelli, Donato Scioscioli, Stefano Fusi, publisher Alessandra Zecchini, Sandra Fresia

Launching To the Gateways of Florence in Christchurch

2011-09-04T03:55:00.000-07:00

Military historian Jeffrey Plowman (who contributed the chapter 'Tiger Country' to the book) with Christchurch City Councillor Barry Corbett

The launch was a reunion for veterans and family, including Lady Fiona Elworth (at right)

Sestilio Dirindelli (right), Mayor of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, addresses the crowd in Italian with Valerie Mayer of the Societa Dante Alighieri di Christchurch interpreting

The book's editor and Florence Provincial Councillor Stefano Fusi addresses the audience as Barry Corbett and UBS Canterbury host Quentin Wilson look on

Signing To the Gateways of Florence

UBS Canterbury was a great host for the launch

Photos by David Baird ©

Beattie's Book Blog reports on To The Gateways of Florence

2011-09-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

From 21 July to 4 August 1944, New Zealand soldiers were at the front line as Allied forces pushed forward across the heartland of Tuscany ...

Read the rest on the: Beattie's Book Blog - unofficial homepage of the New Zealand book community: TO THE GATEWAYS OF FLORENCE

To the Gateways of Florence book launch at Te Papa, Wellington 26 August 2011

2011-08-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

From left: Donato Scioscioli, First Secretary of the Italian Embassy in Wellington, the book's editor Stefano Fusi, Florence Provincial Councillor, and Sestilio Dirindelli, Mayor of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa

Military historian Chris Pugsley (left) with Italian Campaign veteran George Jones

George Jones and family with Sestilio and Stefano

At the signing table, from left Donato Scioscioli, Stefano Fusi and Peter Dowling

Members of Jill Gabriel's Wellington family join Jill, Stefano, Sestilio, Gianna and guests

To the Gateways of Florence New Zealand Forces in Tuscany, 1944

2011-08-24T03:44:00.000-07:00

M E D I A R E L E A S E

24 August 2011

To the Gateways ofFlorence

New Zealand Forces in Tuscany, 1944

Edited by Stefano Fusi

For 50 years afterthe end of the Second World War, most people in the Chianti region betweenFlorence and Siena did not know that New Zealand forces had been the ones toliberate them from Nazi German occupation in the summer of 1944.

It took research byStefano Fusi, then mayor of Tavarnelle (near Florence), and his New Zealandwife Jill Gabriel, to affirm that the liberators had been not Americans butsoldiers of the 2^nd New Zealand Division, many of whom never made ithome.

Now those sacrifices,and the bonds they forged between New Zealand and Italy, are being celebratedin a new book – To the Gateways ofFlorence: New Zealand Forces in Tuscany 1944.

Launched at functionsin Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland over the next fortnight, To the Gateways of Florence remembersthe men of the 28^th Maori Battalion and 21^st InfantryDivisions who showed immense tenacity in battle, and compassion to the Italianpeople that is warmly remembered to this day.

A delegation composed of StefanoFusi (now a Florence Provincial councillor), Jill Gabriel, SestilioDirindelli (current mayor of Tavarnelle) and his wife Gianna has come toNew Zealand in order to launch the book.

“Sharing our history has helped forge adeep friendship with the New Zealand people who live so far away from Tuscanyand from the Chianti area, but to whom, for obvious reasons, we feel so close,”says Fusi.

“Our friendship has strengthened over timeand has also been sealed by the decision made by the municipalities ofTavarnelle Val di Pesa and Scandicci to erect two monuments to the fallen NewZealanders.”

Translated from a 2009Italian book, To the Gateways of Florenceenables New Zealanders to read Italian historians analysing New Zealand’spivotal role in Tuscany, alongside contributions from three of our own leadingmilitary historians – Christopher Pugsley, Monty Soutar and Jeffrey Plowman

The testimonies,diaries and letters of the New Zealand soldiers are matched by movingtestimonies from the Italian civilians who lived through the battles thatdecided the war.

One contributor,Franca Ferrantini, recalls singing for New Zealand soldiers at Florence’s HotelBaglioni: “I send dear thoughts toall those boys from way back then on the other side of the world.”

Publishers PeterDowling and Alessandra Zecchini committed to translating the work afterattending commemorations in the Chianti region on Anzac Day (also Italy’sLiberation Day) in 2010.

“We were overwhelmedby the warm welcome and the efforts that had gone to honouring the New Zealandsoldiers,” Dowling recalls.

Zecchini, whose latefather fought for the partisans in the mountains to the north of Tuscany, saysthat the book embodies the close bonds that sprang up between Italians andKiwis in the course of the Second World War.

A rich selection ofphotographs and memorabilia from archives in New Zealand and Italy illustratesthe work.

To the Gateways of Florence will belaunched at the following events:

· Wellington, 26 August: Te Papa Store

· Christchurch, 1 September: University Bookshop Canterbury,

· Auckland, 8 September:Council Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

Release Date: 26 August2011 | ISBN:978-1-877514-23-4 |RRP $44.99

276 pages (20 colour), 12 contributors, 200 images

StefanoFusi is in New Zealand until 10 September.

For aninterview, images, launch details or a review copy, contact:

Isabell Zitzelsberger 09 814 8993

Peter Dowling 027 614 8993

Libro International, a division of Oratia Media

www.librointernational.com | www.oratiamedia.com

Polynesian Navigation and the Discovery of New Zealand

2011-08-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

M E D I A R E L E A S E

22 August 2011

Polynesian Navigationand

the Discovery of NewZealand

Jeff Evans

Thediscovery of New Zealand by Polynesian navigators represents the culmination ofone of the great waves of world exploration.

Without themodern navigational aids that Europeans used to reach New Zealand centurieslater, the navigator Kupe and the many canoes that followed were able to findtheir way through perilous seas in wooden canoes.

Byexamining myth, star charts and contemporary Polynesian seafaring, author andphotographer Jeff Evans traces the methods by which Polynesian explorers madetheir epic voyages, supported by maps and illustrations.

Polynesian Navigation and the Discovery of New Zealand also relates the voyage of the canoe Hawaiki-nui – built following traditional methods and navigated without moderninstruments – from Tahiti to New Zealand in 1985.

Firstpublished in 1998 as The Discovery ofAotearoa, the retitled and corrected book will now be permanently availablethanks to digital printing technology.

ReleaseDate: 22 August 2011 | ISBN: 978-1-877514-15-9 | RRP $39.99

For an interview, contact:Jeff Evans, 027 216 1400

For more information or areview copy, contact:

Peter Dowling 027 614 8993or Isabell Zitzelsberger 09 814 8993

Libro International, a division of Oratia Media

www.librointernational.com | www.oratiamedia.com

Māori Maps

2011-07-31T17:30:00.000-07:00

MEDIA RELEASE

Auckland/Tāmaki-makaurau

1 August / 1Heri-turi-kōkā 2011 7.00a.m.

For immediate release

New websitewww.maorimaps.com connects people and marae

Te Potiki National Trust this morning officially launched the Māori Maps website, www.maorimaps.com

The site dynamically delivers maps, photographs and information about thetribal marae of Te Tai Tokerau/Northland and Tāmaki/Auckland.

It provides a portal to over 170 marae through the North.

www.maorimaps.com is the first stage of a long-term project to revitaliselinks between marae, descendants and visitors.

Navigating via an interactive map or quick searches, users can easily locatea marae, get directions, see photos from the gateway and access keyinformation.

The site launch represents five years’ work to establish the venture,attract support and research around the North.

Paul Tapsell and Rereata Makiha founded Te Potiki National Trust in 2006with the aim of reconnecting young urban Māori – the ‘potiki’ generation – totheir home communities and elders.

Marae are the beneficiaries of work by the Māori Maps team.

Tapsell, now professor of Māori Studies at the University of Otago, led theresearch across the North, accompanied by photographer Krzysztof Pfeiffer, kaumātua Renata Tane, and Rereata Makiha.

“Our marae are places where issues have beenresolved for generations. They are central to our identity, which is groundedin ancestral landscapes.

“In recent times our potiki – the younggeneration – have been growing up away from marae, and as our elders die, ourrich traditions, dialects and practices are dying with them.

“The Māori Maps team hopes to be thebeginning of a solution, providing a pathway to marae that will benefit all NewZealand.

“It seeks to create a sustainable response to a realcrisis: reconnection of new generations of Māori to their tribal identity, andsustaining our marae.”

The site fills a need for a portal that allows easy connection to maraeat no cost to iwi, hapū or whānau, and will allow them access to store imagesand records online.

“We are committed to ongoing contact with runanga (tribal boards) andmarae to keep the content and website features up to date,” Tapsell said.

MāoriMaps hasbeen funded by the Tindall Foundation, FoRST and the ASB Community Trust, withsupport from the universities of Auckland (James Henare Māori Research Centre,and Business School via Icehouse/SPARK and Otago (Te Tumu School of Māori,Pacific and Indigenous Studies), and Chapman Tripp.

The MāoriMaps team is planning its next field research in Bay of Plenty, Otago,Southland and Waikato.

Further features are under development for the site, not least a Te Reo Māori version, iPad and iPhonecompatibility, and a layer of mapping of all marae in each runanga and iwigrouping.

– ENDS –

For an interview,contact:

PaulTapsell, Director, 021 279 8677, paora@maorimaps.com

For Te Reointerviews, contact:

Rereata Makiha, 021 190 1379, ral.makiha@paradise.net.nz

For furtherinformation, contact:

Peter Dowling, Kaihautu, 027 614 8993, pita@maorimaps.com

Libro International author Jeff Evans with a request for his charity An Ocean of Books

2011-07-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Dear supporter of An Ocean of Books,

Please take the time to read how you can support An Ocean of Books with our work sending library books to needy school libraries in the Pacific.

Many of you will know that Fuli and I run a volunteer, Registered Charity collecting books in NZ and sending them up to needy school libraries in the Central Pacific. We work with the Education departments of the various island nations to ensure the books are sent to the most needy schools.

To help fund our project we have recently teamed up with Buzz The People – an online survey company who pay us for surveys filled out by our registered supporters. Most surveys take around 10 minutes and we get $1 per survey completed. It doesn’t cost you anything other than a small amount of time, and would help us to cover storage costs and various (boring) expenses related to getting the books up to the islands.

If you would like to help us to make a difference in the Pacific, please click on the following link and register, and then complete the survey when it is e-mailed to you. Simple as!!

http://www.buzzthepeople.co.nz/helpfundraise.aspx?s=CBEB2378

Every single small action you take can help make a big difference in someone’s life.

Kind regards,
Jeff Evans

An Ocean of Books.org
Supporting Education in the Pacific

Outrageous Fortune - Back on screen

2011-06-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

TV3 will be screening repeats of the hit drama Outrageous Fortune Saturdays at 8.30 p.m., starting from 11 June. Tune in to follow the trials and tribulations of the West family, and buy the book of the show - Outrageous Fortune: The West Family Album - to get the inside running on Cheryl, Pascalle, Jethro, Van, Loretta, Grandpa, Wayne and all.

Agricultural Heritage on 'Sounds Historical'

2011-06-06T01:15:00.000-07:00

Jim Sullivan's excellent interview with Hugh Stringleman, author of Agricultural Heritage: Auckland Agricultural & Pastoral Association, 1843–2010, aired on Radio New Zealand National's show 'Sounds Historical' on the evening of 5 June.

Follow this link to listen to the interview:

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/soundshistorical/audio/2490677/sounds-historical-part-two-for-5-june-2011.asx

Works with Words

2011-05-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

The opening of the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival on 11 May brought together the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, leading New Zealand composers and the words of a selection of New Zealand poets in an innovative concert.

Among a suite of poems that composer John Elmsly set to music was Basil Dowling's 'Some thought they saw', which was movingly read by narrator Stuart Devenie.

Basil Dowling: Selected Poems is distributed in New Zealand and Australia by Oratia Media. For more details visit http://www.oratiamedia.com/books.html

Karekare's legendary Beach Races - 30 April

2011-04-30T02:38:00.000-07:00

Karekare was at its autumn best for the 2011 Beach Races today, with some fantastic horse racing along the black sands.

Congratulations to all the volunteers from the Karekare community and Surf Lifesaving Club for their efforts to raise funds for new surf clubrooms and for a kitchen at Lone Kauri School.

Libro International's publication The Iron-Bound Coast: Karekare in the early years was on sale to raise funds for the lifesaving club.

Bob Harvey, the book's editor and former mayor of Waitakere City,

signing copies at the Karekare Beach Races

Copies of the book can also be ordered directly from the club - see their website www.karekaresurfclub.org.nz/ for contact details.

Celebrating our agricultural heritage

2011-04-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

What better setting to launch the history of the Auckland Agricultural & Pastoral Association than the ASB Showgrounds, on the eve of the annual Royal Easter Show?

This was the venue for the 20 April official release of Agricultural Heritage, Hugh Stringleman’s detailed and colourful history of one of the country’s oldest organisations. Founded in 1843, the ‘A&P’ has played a key role in the advancement of scientific farming as an engine of economic growth in Auckland and the nation as a whole.

Hugh wrote the work over three years, with close assistance by the late Graeme Hunt, one of a rare breed of business historians in New Zealand.

Launching the book, the Rt Hon Lockwood Smith, Speaker of the House and himself a keen competitor in the Easter Show, praised the thorough account of the personalities and events that have distinguished the A&P through its 167 years.

Bruce Orr, president of the Auckland Agricultural & Pastoral Association, lauded Hugh Stringleman as New Zealand’s pre-eminent agricultural journalist, and expressed his appreciation for his contribution.

Oratia Media published the book for the Association, and is distributing it nationwide through Publishers Distribution Limited. For orders or more information contact marie@pubdist.co.nz, phone 09 828 2999.

Click here for a review of Agricultural Heritage on Beattie's Book Blog.

Chris Hoult show opens in Wellington

2011-04-06T03:49:00.000-07:00

Chris Hoult is pioneering the handcrafted photographic technique of gum oil printing in New Zealand. His exhibition opens in Wellington tomorrow; here's what Chris has to say about the printing process.

Making gum oil prints

Ironically I discovered the gum oil process through the digital system. When Kodak sold out of the black & white film market I began researching alternative processes, and as luck would have it I bought two books on TradeMe. One was by Karl Koenig, who had developed the gum oil process. The process is long and involved, which probably explains why I am, as far as I know, the only Kiwi doing them and one of only a few worldwide.

First an enlarged black & white positive is made, then a contact print is made using a sheet of watercolour paper that has been precoated the night before in a light-sensitive emulsion. The print is exposed in direct sunlight, washed, and then oil paint is rubbed into the exposed print. After a day the print is washed and then, depending on results, is bleached, etched or in some cases worked with a sable brush to create individual prints.

I love being able to manipulate my prints physically, I love the fact that my contact prints are made in direct sunlight and dry in the wind. I love it that I have no control over those elements and that, combined with the enormous variables involved in the process itself, gives each handcrafted print its own unique beauty.

Chris is also the author of Out West, which Libro's Peter Dowling edited when at Reed Books, and we are working with Chris now on further book projects.

Tim Tipene previews Warrior Kids

2011-03-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

Author Tim Tipene spoke last night at Sneak Previews, the opening session of the Spinning Tales National Children's Writers' and Illustrators' Hui organised in Auckland by Storylines and KiwiWrite4Kids (http://www.spinningtales.co.nz/). Tim previewed his educational manual Warrior Kids: Warrior Training for Children, which will be published by Libro International later in 2011.

On the fringe of heaven ...

2011-03-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday 20 March the West Auckland Historical Society launched its new book Titirangi: Fringe of Heaven, written by Marc Bonny, and edited by Bruce and Trixie Harvey. This handsome paperback celebrates the culture and history of one of Auckland's most iconic suburbs. Libro International's parent company Oratia Media published the book for the historical society, and is distributing it outside of Auckland through Publishers Distribution Limited. For enquiries contact orders@pubdist.co.nz or phone 09 828 2999.

THE BOOK:

Titirangi, probably Auckland’s most beautiful suburb and on the edge of the dramatic Waitakere Ranges, is truly the ‘fringe of heaven’. This richly illustrated book, compiled over many years by the West Auckland Historical Society, tracks the area’s evolution from successive Maori settlements, the first European arrivals, forest clearings and the beginnings of Titirangi village through to the post-war era when artists and writers began gravitating to the community as its regenerating forest reached for the sky.

Titirangi: Fringe of Heaven collects specialist accounts of Maori history, prominent settlers, architecture, the arts and the environment with personal recollections of Titirangi life. A must for anyone with a connection to this beautiful area or with an interest in the arts and environment.

Marc Bonny grew up in Titirangi and after returning in 1995, has dedicated himself to researching its history. He edits the West Auckland Historical Society newsletter and is an active historical writer.

Bruce and Trixie Harvey have a strong interest in the history and environment of Titirangi; they edited the book Waitakere Ranges for the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society and Bruce is the author of Whatipu.

From The Cauldron

2011-03-05T21:18:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club on its 75th anniversary. Libro International has donated copies of The Iron-Bound Coast by Wallace Badham to help with celebrations and ongoing fundraising.

Together with Christchurch

2011-02-28T17:17:00.000-08:00

Our heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost family and friends in the earthquake that hit Christchurch last Tuesday 22 February.

Today New Zealand observed a two-minute silence in memory of the victims and their families at 12.51 pm– one week exactly from the time the 6.3 magnitude quake struck.

Christchurch is where I grew up and where my parents live. They are fine, as is our South Island sales representative Peter Gray, and our many friends and family there. Canterbury people are resilient, and we know the city will be back.

For now, our thoughts are with Christchurch and all who have suffered loss.

Peter Dowling

Wiremu Pere review on the Beattie's Book Blog

2011-02-10T01:58:00.000-08:00

Click here to read today'r review of the Wiremu Pere book

on the Beattie's Book Blog.

Place Names of New Zealand on air

2011-02-07T02:27:00.000-08:00

Click here to hear Peter Dowling, Libro International publisher, discussing place names on Radio New Zealand National's Summer Report programme. Peter is the revising editor of A.W. Reed's classic Place Names of New Zealand.

Place Names of New Zealand on air

2010-12-27T00:30:00.000-08:00

Radio New Zealand National starts tomorrow broadcasting sessions with Peter discussing interesting place names. Listen out for the sessions on Summer Report, at around 7.50 am every Tuesday and Thursday from 28 December through to 20 January. Drawing from his work as revising editor of A.W. Reed's Place Names of New Zealand, Peter talks with Simon Morton and Rowan Quinn about current naming controversy, women namers, names brought from Hawaiki and more.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/summerreport

Seasons' Greetings

2010-12-22T22:34:00.001-08:00

Meri Kirihimete me ngā mihi o te tau hou ki a koutou katoa

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all

from Oratia Media

Publisher of

Libro International

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo

Manuia le Kerisimasi, ma le Tausaga Fou

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année

新年おめでとうございます

Fröhliche Weihnachten
und ein gutes neues Jahr

¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!

聖誕快樂新年快樂

The School Library

2010-12-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

The Castle in our Backyard was recently reviewed by the New Zealand Book Council, Te Kaunihera Pukapuka o Aotearoa, in the Inspiring Picture Books' section of The School Library

Click here to read the review.

http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/users/Image/General/Downloads/term%204%20fifth%20pages%20low%20res.pdf

Latest reviews

2010-12-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

Two of our 2010 releases were reviewed today 19 December by the Sunday Star-Times - and the assessments of From Silence to Voice and Wiremu Pere make good reading.

Wiremu Pere:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/4471094/Early-Maori-leaders-worries-point-to-current-battles

From Silence to Voice:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/4471093/A-different-reflection

Paola Della Valle talks about writing From Silence to Voice

2010-12-04T01:29:00.000-08:00

Why do I write on Maori literature?

I first became interested in New Zealand literature in the mid-1980s. I came in contact with some of Frank Sargeson’s stories during the Commonwealth Literature course I attended at the University of Torino, as part of the requirements for my bachelor’s degree in English literature, and I decided to write my bachelor’s thesis on him in 1986. When I went back to university in 2004 for my PhD I wanted to explore New Zealand culture and literature further.

I was soon attracted by the writing of Maori authors, in particular Patricia Grace and Witi Ihimaera, which seemed to be the big thing that had occurred in the previous 20 years in the New Zealand literary arena. I liked their spiritual approach to reality and their sense of humour, and I perceived the novelty of their English, which sounds extremely poetic to a foreign ear. I also recognised several affinities between Maori and Italian culture, which made me feel ‘at home’ when I read their stories. First of all, Maori have a notion of family that is similar to ours. Close bonds within extended families are still the basis of our society, which functions on alliances and personal contacts rather than on relying on an abstract sense of the state (this is the reason why Italians tend to apply the law in a ‘flexible’ way, creating many particular codes). Moreover, the affective and even sensual value that Maori give to food is something that characterises Italian culture too, as is their vocal way of expressing emotions, their love of singing, their openness and flexibility, and their search for communality even to the detriment of privacy.

I was not surprised when I read Grace’s novel Tu and found out that the soldiers of the Maori Battalion got along pretty well with local people during the Italian Campaign in World War II. And I think that Ihimaera’s use of Italian melodrama in The Matriarch evokes a physicality of emotions that Maori and Italians share and appreciate.

This fascination has driven me to write From Silence to Voice.

From Silence to Voice is already in its second print run in New Zealand through our distributors Publishers Distribution Limited (09 828 2999 or orders@pubdist.co.nz) or from Lightning Source (www.lightningsource.com) in the UK.

Wi Pere Book Launch; Rongopai Marae, Patutahi, Gisborne Friday 19 November 2010;

2010-11-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

A great occasion in Gisborne on Friday 19 November, with the launch Libro International's newest book, Wiremu Pere: The Life and Times of a Maori Leader, 1837–1915. It was an honour to be there with the descendants of Wi Pere to celebrate their tupuna at the beautiful Rongopai marae.

Among the distinguished guests and speakers present was the Hon Tariana Turia, co-leader of the Maori Party, who opened her speech describing Wi Pere as “a remarkable man, a man of mana, a man well before his time.”

You can read her full speech by clicking here.

A most memorable oration was given by Rose Pere, speaking for herself and her husband, the author Joe Pere. Among other speakers were Lewis Moeau, Maori Advisor to the Prime Minister, Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon, Wi Pere Trust Chairman Alan Haronga, and Wi Pere Trustee Kingi Smiler.

Rose Pere signing a copy of the book for Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon.

At the reception for the book Wiremu Pere

From the Gisborne Herald Saturday 20 November

Wiremu Pere: The Life and Times of a Maori Leader, 1837–1915

RRP $90.00

Jacketed hardback, 240 x 180 mm, 440 pp, includes foldout deed and maps

Available from good bookstores, or from Publishers Distribution Limited,

tel: 09 828 2999 fax: 09 828 2399 email: orders@pubdist.co.nz

ISBN 978-1-877514-09-8

Links:

Gisborne Herald 16 November: to read the article click here

Beattie's Book Blog, click here

We Pere Trust, click here

Wiremu Pere The Life and Times of a Maori Leader, 1837–1915

2010-11-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

Libro International is proud to publish Wiremu Pere: The Life and Times of a Maori Leader, 1837–1915, the first biography of the seminal politician Wi Pere - a man caught between two worlds, struggling to preserve the Maori way of life and advance his tribes on the North Island's East Coast as colonisation gained pace.

Link to Wi Pere trust:
http://www.wipere.co.nz/wipere.htm

Wiremu Pere

The Life and Times of a Maori Leader,

1837–1915

by Joseph Anaru Te Kani Pere & others

A rangatira in times of change …

Wi Pere lived through some of the most turbulent chapters in New Zealand history. As a leader of his Rongowhakaata and Te Aitanga a Mahaki tribes, he stood resolute during the tidal wave of change that threatened the Maori way of life, and went on in 1884 to become one of the first Maori leaders in Parliament.

This handsomely produced book describes Wi Pere’s eventful life and those who influenced him. Other parts trace his whakapapa back to ancient rangatira lines, and profile the Wi Pere Trust, one of his legacies that continues to prosper and grow today.

Wiremu Pere will appeal to all those who are students of Maori and political history as well as readers interested in the colourful life of this extraordinary leader.

The Author:

Joseph Anaru Te Kani Pere, a great-grandson of Wi Pere, took over the writing of the book from earlier family members. A former teacher, he has a doctorate in English from the University of Waikato. After extensive research and writing, he has brought the work to completion with the support of the Wi Pere Trust.

Release Date: 19 November 2010 | RRP $90.00

Jacketed hardback, 240 x 180 mm, 440 pp, includes foldout deed and maps

For a review copy, please contact:

Peter Dowling, 027 614 8993, 09 814 8993, peter@oratiamedia.com

Libro International | ISBN: 978-1-877514-09-8 www.oratiamedia.com

Publishers Association of New Zealand Featured Member: Peter Dowling Oratia Media

2010-11-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

Featured Member: Peter Dowling Oratia MediaAddressing industry peers from around the world was a highlight of the 2010 Frankfurt Book Fair for independent publisher Oratia Media. The Waitakere-based company’s Managing Director Peter Dowling took the stage in an Australasian panel discussion that helped profile New Zealand books to the global flock at this year’s essential book event. But there were other milestones, including breaking through to get invited to the Italian Publishers Association cocktail. “We’ve been working all year to get on the radar of Italian publishers so the networking at Frankfurt was unbelievably valuable – even if the New Zealand stand put on a much better party!” Connecting New Zealand with the world is a key part of the vision for Libro International, the books imprint launched in 2009.

Read the full story on the Publishers Association of New Zealand website

Outrageous Fortune - And So It Concludes

2010-11-08T13:08:00.001-08:00

Tonight sees the culmination of six series of Outrageous Fortune - in an episode entitled Tis So Concluded.

Over the past six years the West family and their associates have become part of the fabric of daily life for New Zealanders, and we'll miss them being on TV. Just as well there are DVDs and our book, Outrageous Fortune: The West Family Album.

Limited stocks of the book are still available. Be in to get yours now from booksellers or via the official website www.outrageousfortune.co.nz

From Silence to Voice

2010-11-05T02:29:00.000-07:00

Libro International is proud to publish From Silence to Voice: The Rise of Maori Literature, by Paola Della Valle.

Paola Della Valle provides an accessible account of how writers like Patricia Grace and Witi Ihimaera established a Maori voice in literature, with a close analysis of many of the key texts in modern Maori writing.

Frankfurt Book Fair 2010

2010-10-16T03:14:00.000-07:00

Peter in the Oratia Media corner of the New Zealand collective stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The fair concluded on 10 October and was a really valuable event - we're certainly hoping to be there again in 2011.

Think Australia (and New Zealand)

2010-10-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Click here to read the article about

the Australian and New Zealand publishing market

discussed by a specialist panel

at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2010,

and reported by

Publishing Perspectives.

Flying the Flag at Frankfurt – 7 October 2010

2010-10-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

There’s a subdued buzz in the air at Hall 8 as I write this – subdued because it’s lunchtime and those who aren’t eating are catching breath. The fair kicked off yesterday morning and for Oratia Media and our colleagues on the New Zealand collective stand it was a busy start to the five-day event, which is the world’s largest marketplace for books, media, rights and licences.

Entering the Frankfurt Book Fair

This year marks our first appearance at the fair, exhibiting our books and talking to other publishers about distribution, rights and services internationally. This year we’re pushing the authors already published in our Libro International list, along with a number of new concepts for books that we’re pitching to likely partners. Also on our stand are titles from our Rock Your Life list, and our friends at Huia Publishers and Willson Scott Publishers.

Our corner of the New Zealand stand

Today it was my turn to take the microphone, as I joined Australian colleagues Patricia Genat of ALS, Rod Martin of Era Publications, and mediator Tim Coronel of Bookseller and Publisher magazine at a well-patronised seminar: ‘Australia/New Zealand Publishing Market Overview’. Common preoccupations with slow local markets, changing export destinations and digitisation united out two markets, which also remain distinguished by the difficulty of distributing across the Tasman.

Notice for today’s seminar session

A busy schedule of meetings continues over the next three days. Tomorrow night the New Zealand stand will host drinks, at which Creative New Zealand and the Publishers Association of NZ will launch its programme of support for translation of New Zealand writing

Better go – there’s a bunch of people browsing the stand.
Peter Dowling

Graeme Hunt: Farewell to a fine author

2010-09-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

We are very sad to share the news that Graeme Hunt, an outstanding author with whom we had a close working relationship, died suddenly at his home in Auckland on Wednesday. Graeme, who had just turned 58, had recently undergone minor heart surgery but had subsequently been feeling healthy and positive.

Graeme was an outstanding historian and journalist, a writer with rare insight into business, a publisher in his own right, a tireless supporter of New Zealand books, a generous soul and a friend to many.

He published his first books under his own imprint, Waddington Press, before I commissioned his best-selling The Rich List: Wealth and Enterprise in New Zealand, published by Reed in 2000. Subsequently he published four other works with us at Reed and one with Penguin.

Last year Waddington and Oratia Media jointly published First to Care, the 125-year history of St John in New Zealand, which received excellent reviews and has sold strongly. At the time of his death we were working on first proofs of a major agricultural history he edited, and planning further projects. He was prolific and meticulous as a writer, producing 15 books in all, while being active as a reviewer and mentor to other writers.

Graeme was always politically engaged, and was standing as an independent in the October local body elections in the Albany ward. But he never let his own views cloud his respect for healthy, democratic debate.

Our sympathies go to his wife Saluma, his first wife Jennifer, his children Robert and Ellen, and his family members.

I will be promoting Graeme’s work at the Frankfurt Book Fair in ten days’ time, and Libro International will follow up on the commitment I’d earlier made to Graeme to keep as much as possible of his work in print.

Peter Dowling

Frankfurt Book Fair 2010

2010-09-10T01:02:00.000-07:00

Creative New Zealand has posted our profile as one of the four publishers it is supporting to exhibit at the Frankfurt Book Fair next month.

Follow this link for more information.

Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership

2010-09-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

Coming this month is our newest publication Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership, a full-colour paperback that documents the trajectory of Māori leadership from first settlement of Aotearoa/New Zealand through to the challenges and opportunities of the present day.

This 32-page book is concisely written by Paul Tapsell, professor of Māori studies at the University of Otago, with Dr Merata Kawharu, director of the James Henare Māori Research Centre of the University of Auckland, and features beautiful photos by Krzysztof Pfeiffer, photographer at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and author of over 20 books.

After a general introduction to Māori history, Te Ara focuses on the stories of iwi in five regions – Hokianga, Peowhairangi (Bay of Islands) Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Waiariki (Rotorua-Taupo) and Murihiku (Otago-Southland).

Te Ara accompanies an exhibition that will open in Olsztyn, Poland, on 22 September, before touring in Poland and then elsewhere to Europe. The present edition contains text in three languages – Māori, English and Polish – definitely a first!

Te Ara: Māori Pathways of Leadership - ISBN 978-1-877514-12-8 - retails at $19.99

Launching The Castle in our Backyard

2010-08-01T01:12:00.000-07:00

On the evening of 29 July an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Cornwall Park Restaurant on One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie to launch the first 2010 title from Libro International - The Castle in our Backyard and its Maori edition, Te Pa Kaha kei to tatou Iari.

Guests were welcomed on behalf of Ngati Whatua o Orakei, the mana whenua of the mount, by Takutai Wikiriwhi, and addressed by Michael Horton, chairman of the Cornwall Park Trust Board.

Author Malcolm Paterson spoke of the vision of connecting New Zealand children with the history that surrounds them, which inspired him and his fellow members of the Sharing Our Stories group to devise this, the first in a planned series of books about historic landmarks.

The Castle in our Backyard and Te Pa Kaha kei to tatou Iari are on sale at good bookstores in New Zealand or can be ordered through our website www.oratiamedia.com

Author Malcolm Paterson and illustrator Leah Mulgrew signing books for Sharing Our Stories member Mark Spencer; Patricia Greig of Oratia Media is in the background

Representatives of Ngati Whatua o Orakei, major supporters of The Castle in our Backyard

(Below) Malcolm Paterson launching the book

Carolyn Judd of Sharing Our Stories, with Malcolm Paterson and

Peter Dowling

SHARING OUR STORIES BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE FOR KIWI KIDS

2010-07-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill, AUCKLAND 29 July 2010

Awakening young readers to the wonders that surround them is the kaupapa (mission) of Sharing Our Stories, a group of committed young leaders who today release their first book in English and Te Reo editions.

The Castle in our Backyard (in English) and Te Pā Kaha kei tō tatōu Iāri (in Māori) is the first book by group member Malcolm Paterson, and is illustrated by young Karekare artist Leah Mulgrew.

Released to mark Māori Language Week/Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, the book invites young readers to enter the history of Auckland’s One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie alongside two modern-day characters.

Tui and his cousin Jennifer are too busy playing a video game to want to visit Maungakiekie – until their Nanny Marei tells them the mountain’s got giants and fortresses, just like their game.

Sharing Our Stories grew as a team project under a leadership programme of the Committee for Auckland.

“We hope that by becoming more aware of our rich history, New Zealanders will enhance their pride in our unique heritage,” said Malcolm Paterson.

The books, from Waitakere City publisher Libro International, are available at good bookstores and online.

On sale from 29 July, the books will be launched at One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie that evening.

Review copies are available NOW

Place Names of New Zealand on Radio Live

2010-07-23T08:18:00.001-07:00

Peter's new revised edition of Place Names of New Zealand

is out this month from Penguin Books.

Peter spoke with Radio Live host Graeme Hill

about the book and how the meanings of place names

on the New Zealand landscape; click here to listen.

Place Names of New Zealand - out now

2010-06-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Place Names of New Zealand

A.W. Reed; revised by Peter Dowling

Published by Raupo, an imprint of Penguin Books (www.penguin.co.nz)

ISBN 8-978-0-14-320410-7 512 pages Paperback NZ$50

It’s been a privilege to edit, update and expand A.W. Reed’s Place Names of New Zealand. The new edition is just out through Raupo, the imprint that carries on what was once Reed Books.

How we call places matters deeply. The debate over whether to include an ‘h’ in the official spelling of ‘Wanganui’, which raged as I was revising this work between 2008 and 2010, was merely the latest example of what store people set by place names. Times don’t appear to have changed this sentiment. In 1844, residents protested vehemently against the giving of the name Petre to the town that was renamed Wanganui as a result.

A.W. Reed, who died in 1979, was an outstanding publisher who had a feel for what matters in popular culture, and he recognised the need to start recording origin and meaning of place names before the knowledge was lost. His Place Names of New Zealand, published in 1975, became the standard guide to this popular field, and he published a substantial Supplement to Place Names of New Zealand shortly before his death.

The 2010 Place Names of New Zealand maintains most of Reed’s research, but in a slimmed down, ready-reference structure. Onto that foundation I’ve built on as much new information as could be reliably sourced within the available time – adding definitions for some 1500 new names, new details for existing entries, and latest versions of official names. All up the new edition has origin and meanings for over 10,000 place names.

What excites me about place names is how directly they mediate between us and our land, our past and our language, keeping alive experiences and people long vanished from our memories. There are names that mark lovers, murderers, cannibal feasts, failures, puns and friendships; names that tie places to nature alongside those that honour eminences who never had anything to do with the place; names that have been misspelled but where any change is deeply opposed.

Arthur’s Pass, for example, retains its apostrophe only because residents protested violently at government efforts to remove it (Hawke’s Bay is the only other New Zealand place name officially to retain the apostrophe). It could have been worse for residents of the Pass – in Southland the Ruhtra Creek was meant to honour a surveyor by the name of Arthur, but ended up being recorded backwards!

I hope that readers can gain as much from Place Names of New Zealand as it gave me in putting it together.

Peter Dowling - peter@oratiamedia.com

Frankfurt Book Fair 2010 – We’ll Be There

2010-06-25T05:42:00.000-07:00

We’ve had some great news – Creative New Zealand has awarded us one of four grants to assist with exhibition and travel costs for the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Frankfurt is to books what Cannes is to film, the one indispensable site for the industry to meet each year.

Taking place from 6 –10 October, the fair is billed as ‘the most important marketplace for books, media, rights and licences worldwide’ – attended by over 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries, around 300,000 visitors and over 10,000 journalists.

Applicants for the funding were assessed by a panel from Creative New Zealand, the New Zealand Book Council and the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ).

Alongside Oratia Media/Libro International, Auckland University Press, Calico Publishing and Gecko Press received grants, and we'll all be sharing space on the New Zealand stand at the show.

Being at Frankfurt is crucial to advancing Libro’s international profile, building on our presence at the Turin Book Fair in May.

Along with backlist titles, we will be showing new publications like Joe Te Kani Pere’s Wiremu Pere and Paola Della Valle’s From Silence to Voice: The Maori in New Zealand Literature, while promoting co-editions including the landmark volume Marae from Paul Tapsell and Maori Maps.

A big thank you to Creative New Zealand and PANZ for their support as we take New Zealand books to the world.

Praise for Graeme Hunt books

2010-06-07T01:28:00.000-07:00

Good reviews continue to flow for Graeme Hunt's First to Care, which Libro International published last October.

Also included in this reviews page link from Massey University is Glyn Harper on Graeme's book By Skill and Spirit, a history of the Auckland Officer's Club, which Oratia Media is distributing in New Zealand on behalf of Waddington Press.

For more information on these titles go to www.oratiamedia.com/books.html

Monsters, tribes and a castle in the backyard

2010-05-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

While children are glued to screens playing generic games of fictional heroes and villains, right around them is a history that is filled with real stories relating directly to who they are and where they live.

That was the realisation that drove Malcolm Paterson and his fellow alumni of the Committee for Auckland’s Young Leaders programme to create Sharing Our Stories, a series of picture books that bring to life the landscape of the city for readers in the 8–12 age group.

Over the past year, our books editor Carolyn Lagahetau has worked closely with Malcolm, illustrator Leah Mulgrew and the other Sharing Our Stories team to bring the first book to publication.

The Castle in our Backyard follows cousins Tui and Jennifer as they discover the castle near their place – Maungkiekie or One Tree Hill, in its day home to the goddess of fire, a Māori fortress, Chinese gardens, and the estate of Sir John Logan Campbell. It’s an engaging story that manages to include plenty of information and activities for kids on this voyage of discovery.

A first book for all involved, The Castle in our Backyard is also one those increasing rarities these days, a book published simultaneously in English and Māori. Te Pā Kaha kei tō tatōu Iāri, the Māori edition, will be launched along with the English at the end of July to coincide with Maori Language Week.

The Castle in our Backyard (978-1-877514-05-0)

Te Pā Kaha kei tō tatōu Iāri (978-1-877514-10-4)

Malcolm Paterson, illustrated by Leah Mulgrew

Published by Libro International, July 2010

Price: $19.99

284 x 208 mm portrait, PB, 32 pp, colour

For orders, contact our distributors:

Publishers Distribution Limited

Attn: Customer Services

Tel: 09 828 2999 Fax: 09 828 2399

E: orders@pubdist.co.nz

From the Turin International Book Fair

2010-05-18T08:18:00.001-07:00

The Salone Internazione del Libro Torino is Italy’s major book fair, held at the Lingotto Fiere in Turin for five days every May.

Attended by over 300,000 book lovers, with exhibits from Italian publishers large and small, a packed programme of writer presentations, a special kids’ pavilion and live broadcasts from Rai TV and radio – it makes for an amazing hive of cultural activity.

Taking place alongside the Salone was the International Book Forum, the business side of the fair, which brought together over 800 professionals to talk book, film and broadcast rights. Oratia Media took its table there to pursue our objectives of taking New Zealand authors to the world and developing Libro International’s presence in Italy.

Although there was a healthy showing of Indian publishers – India being this year’s guest country – we were certainly the only publisher from anywhere further east.

It’s always hard to quantify immediately how much business will come out of a trade fair. All the same, after more than 20 meetings, lots of useful encounters and hours spent browsing stands, I’m confident that we have some exciting opportunities.

A few initial take-outs:

- A lot of curiosity about New Zealand but few immediate prospects for books linked to South Pacific culture in Europe

- Openness to dealing with writers in areas that are less region specific, particularly children’s books, education, business and biography

- A flat or contracting book market is afflicting everyone, particularly the UK, US and Spain …

- … but not India, where economic growth and valuation of literacy is stoking demand for printed matter, with a readiness to take risks

- Ebooks? Not a lot in the Italian market just yet, though Giunti announced at the fair it would soon start selling the first ebook in Italy with an online catalogue of 400 titles to follow.

- Per capita book sales in Italy are creeping up again. They say Italians don’t read much, but judging from the crush at many of the stalls, it would seem fairer to say that those who do read, read a lot.

- Goodwill: the relatively small size of the IBF made it easy to rub shoulders and make acquaintances, and the food and wine was outstanding. In Turin there is such a thing as a free lunch!

It’ll be worth being back next year.

http://www.ibf.it

http://www.salonelibro.it/

From the International Book Forum organisers:

Si è chiusa la nona edizione dell'IBF. Appuntamento al 2011, dal 12 al 14 maggio

L'edizione 2010 dell’Ibf – International Book Forum, la business area del Salone Internazionale del Libro dedicata allo scambio di diritti editoriali e audiovisivi per la traduzione e l’adattamento, registra un nuovo record di presenze. Oltre 800, di cui 120 invitati in collaborazione con l'Istituto nazionale per il Commercio Estero (ICE), gli operatori professionali provenienti da oltre 30 paesi (ad esempio Argentina, Brasile, Canada, Egitto, Germania, Messico, Romania, Russia, Stati Uniti, Svezia) tra agenti letterari, responsabili dei diritti, produttori e scout editoriali per il cinema, la televisione e il multimediale che, infatti, hanno animato durante i tre giorni (da giovedì 13 a sabato 15 maggio) i 200 tavolini allestiti presso il Centro Congressi del Lingotto, quartier generale delle operazioni b2b del Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino, per un totale di oltre 7500 incontri (1500 in più rispetto al 2009).

Bonds of Blood and Memory

2010-05-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

New Zealand serviceman gave their lives to help liberate Italy from Nazi occupation in World War 2. One town in Tuscany has made a special effort to remember that fact.

For decades after Tavarnelle Val di Pesa was liberated in August 1944, locals believed their liberators were Americans. It was only due to the efforts of former Tavarnelle mayor Stefano Fusi and his New Zealand wife Jill Gabriel that the true story came to be told – that soldiers from the 2^nd New Zealand Division, and specifically from the 28^th Maori Battalion, had been the troops to force the German retreat.

Marking Liberation Day in Tavarnelle

Last year the story of that liberation came to be told in a fine book published by Editore NTE, I Giorni della Liberazione: Le truppe neozelandesi da San Donato all porte di Firenze. The book collects contributions from New Zealand and Italian historians and testimonies of those who lived through those days of death and destruction.

At the invitation of Stefano and Jill, we attended the ceremonies to mark Liberation Day in Tavarnelle on 25 April — the date of Anzac Day in New Zealand and Australia. The coincidence of dates doesn’t seem so much by chance when you are there, such is the feeling of fraternity between our nations and people. A few days later, we were privileged to visit the current exhibition of photographs relating to the liberation at the beautiful Palazzo Medici Riccardi in the heart of Florence.

Libro International is committed to working with Stefano, Jill and NTE to make I Giorni della Liberazione available in English in 2011.

‘Questo volume è il frutto felice di un bel rapporto di amicizia e fratellanza … Un’amicizia che è solo l’ultimo episodio di un rapporto speciale che si è stabilito fra i nostri Comuni, i nostri territorio, con la Nuova Zelanda.’

‘This volume is the happy fruit of a positive relationship based on friendship and fraternity… A friendship that is merely the latest episode in a special relationship that has been established between our territory and New Zealand.’

- Stefano Fusi, from the introduction to I Giorni della Liberazione

At the Eighth Army … Various exhibition in Florence, left to right: Stefano Fusi, Florence provincial councillor; Jill Gabriel, one of the book’s translators; Fabrizio Nucci, publisher, Editore NTE; Peter Dowling of Libro International; Tavernelle mayor Sestilio Dirindelli; Gianna Magnani and Angela Mori of Tavernelle council, who also worked on the book.

http://www.gonews.it/articolo_54064_programma-celebrazioni-aprile.html

ORATIA MEDIA & BLOOMING TWIG BOOKS INK PUBLISHING & DISTRIBUTION DEAL

2010-04-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

AUCKLAND & NEW YORK

23 APRIL 2010

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS Oratia Media Ltd of Auckland, New Zealand and Blooming Twig Books of New York, USA, today signed a cooperation agreement that will greatly expand their respective reach and publishing capacity.

With immediate effect, Oratia Media will represent titles from Blooming Twig Books in New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific. Blooming Twig Books will represent titles from Oratia’s Libro International and Rock Your Life lists in the USA and Canada.

Both companies are to promote each other’s titles and will manage printing and distribution through print-on-demand and offset printing arrangements.

Oratia Media managing director Peter Dowling and Blooming Twig Books operating manager Kent Gustavson welcomed the announcement.

“Blooming Twig Books is an innovative young publisher that has many synergies with our publishing, with us both committed to children’s books, self-help and general non-fiction,” Dowling said.

“Having guaranteed North American distribution is a major plus for our authors and we look forward to working with Kent to maximise sales in bookstores as well as through Amazon and other online retailers, and to taking Blooming Twig Books’ titles to market Down Under.”

Gustavson anticipates great interest for the Oratia Media titles in the American market: “I am excited to have the chance to work with the diverse front and backlist that Oratia Media has to offer, and we are looking forward to reaching a new market in New Zealand and Australia.”

First releases in the Australasian market for Blooming Twig will be Dr John Molidor’s brilliant take on inter-generational mix-ups, Psycho Generations: How Each Generation Drives the Other Crazy and What You Can Do About It; and Jennifer Powers’ Oh Shift!, a hilarious guide to handling change in a rapidly changing world.

Blooming Twig will start with Libro International’s outrageous TV tie-in Outrageous Fortune: The West Family Guide and Tim Tipene’s classic junior novel Kura Toa, to be followed by the first two titles from the Rock Your Life series, Damian Milo’s Recession-Proof Your Life and Mike Handcock’s What if you were God?

ABOUT ORATIA MEDIA – www.oratiamedia.com • http:// librointernational.blogspot.com

Oratia Media is a publishing and communications services company with bases in Auckland, New Zealand and Brescia, Italy. Its book division, Libro International, publishes quality children’s, history, Maori studies, business and general nonfiction titles, and it is launching a comprehensive self-help series this year in association with Rock Your Life.

ABOUT BLOOMING TWIG BOOKS - www.bloomingtwigbooks.com • Blooming Twig Books is a publishing company located in New York, specialising in creative new titles in several genres, including motivation, business, psychology, children’s, history and general nonfiction.

For further information contact:

Kent Gustavson

Blooming Twig Books, PO Box 4668 #66675, New York, NY 10163-4668, USA

Tel: +1 866 389 4668 Email: kent@bloomingtwigbooks.com

Peter Dowling

Oratia Media, 783 West Coast Road, Oratia, Auckland 0604, NZ

& Via A. de Gasperi 2B, 25047 Darfo Boario (BS), Italy

Tel: +64 27 6148993 / +39 345 0936547 Email: peter@oratiamedia.com

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