Northland author-illustrator debuts with a universal 'tail ' about who we are – or think we are

I'm a Submarine

Nigel McHardy

Hello whale!’

‘Whale? I’m not a whale. I’m a submarine.’

 

A seagull is a seagull, and a whale is a whale. 

Seagull knows a thing or two about sea creatures and submarines. But after meeting Whale, Seagull learns that things are not always what they seem!

 

Whale tries hard to convince Seagull that he/she may look like a whale, but is actually a submarine!

When a storm arrives, Seagull gets to put Whale’s claims to the test, acting like an avian Jonah and finding that with a little imagination, we can be who we want to be.

 

In this highly original debut book, designer and nature enthusiast Nigel McHardy takes young readers on a fun journey that is all about the joy of pretending and questioning what you see. 

As an illustrator and designer, Nigel had been mulling over the idea of a book for over a decade. A redundancy finally pushed him to get serious and flesh out the concept, and Oratia Books agreed to take on the project.

While the primary characters in the book are a seagull and a whale (or is it a submarine?) the beautifully illustrated story is as much about identity as it is the ocean. 

“It’s also about how people perceive the world differently. While people may look similar on the outside, we’re certainly not the same on the inside. That idea was very much on my mind when I developed this story.

 

“I wanted to share the idea that we should have the freedom to choose our own identity,’ says Nigel. “Having kids myself encouraged me to put this into a book.”

 

Another inspiration is his father’s shipwreck. In 1968, he was aboard the Maranui when it sank off the coast of the Coromandel in a terrible storm. Only a third of the crew survived. It’s something Nigel only learned about in the past few years, and it had a profound impact on him. 

There’s a shipwreck in an underwater scene in the book, and Nigel used photos of the Maranui as a subtle tribute to that part of his family’s history.

  

The author

Nigel McHardy lives in the countryside with beautiful views over the Whangarei Harbour that inspire his stories. A professional designer by day, he enjoys dreaming up new projects inspired by his love of nature, and spending time with his family. This is his first book. To find out more, visit https://www.nigelmchardy.com 

Publication: 3 April 2025  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004280-5 | RRP $21.00

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

New edition of classic history returns to print ahead of Anzac Day

The Anzac Experience: New Zealand, Australia and Empire in the First World War

Christopher Pugsley

Revised edition of much-praised history examines the Great War experience of New Zealand, Australia and Canada

‘One of the best works of Australasian military history I have ever read.’ 

– Allan Converse, The Journal of Military History

 

One hundred and ten years on from the Gallipoli campaign of 1915, a new era of wars in the eastern Mediterranean obliges us to consider the role of the military in human history. 

 

To understand how New Zealand and Australia first developed their response to global conflicts, The Anzac Experience is an important primer. This gripping book captures the evolution by trial and error of their respective armies, alongside that of Canada, from the Boer War in South Africa to involvement in the First World War. 

 

It tells the story of citizen soldiers becoming professional as they learned the lessons of Gallipoli and applied these to the Western Front — earning them the status of the fighting elite in the British armies in France. 

Richly illustrated with photographs and maps, The Anzac Experience blends social analysis and military history in a compelling combination. In its research and writing, Christopher Pugsley walked every New Zealand battlefield on Gallipoli and the Western Front. 

 

This revised edition features a new cover and updates to the text. 

 

The author

Christopher Pugsley is recognised among the first rank of military historians. A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the New Zealand Army, he was a lecturer in military studies in New Zealand and Australia, and retired in 2012 as a Senior Lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Among his recent works are the fifth edition of Gallipoli: The New Zealand Story and Le Quesnoy 1918. He lives with his wife in Waikanae.

Publication: 1 April 2025  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-00-1 | RRP $49.99

Paperback, 240 x 170 mm portrait, 356 pages, b&w

Finding a new bum and finding Easter eggs in hilarious new picture book

 

Easter Bunny Needs a New Bum!
Dawn McMillan
Illustrated by Ross Kinnaird

Easter egg-citement awaits in seasonal addition to the hit New Bum! series

 

As children are gearing up for Easter egg hunts and trying to spot the Easter Bunny, here comes the book to spark their egg-citement!

And when Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird are in cahoots, you know there’ll be plenty of laughter (and probably some bums too)! 

Easter Bunny needs a New Bum! is the newest addition to the hilarious hit series that cracks up readers around the world. 

Early one morning, Red Pants Boy spots Easter Bunny in his garden – but something’s amiss: Easter Bunny is missing his tail! 

Well-versed in bum-related emergencies, our hero comes to Easter Bunny’s rescue with an egg-celent idea. 

He equips him with fashionable Easter undies and off they hop to hide the eggs: ‘Hoppity hoppity, cannot stoppity.’

But will they be able to sort out Easter Bunny’s bum issues or will he forever be wearing undies?

Number ten in the bestselling New Bum! series publishes on 13 March in New Zealand and Australia, and is already available in the UK and Ireland through Scholastic.

The author

Dawn McMillan is the much-loved author of many children’s books, including  I Need a New Bum!, My Bum is SO SPOOKY!, There’s a Crab in my Castle and Colour the Stars. She lives in Waiomu, north of Thames. 

The illustrator

Ross Kinnaird is an illustrator and graphic designer whose books have been published in many countries, many of them in collaboration with Dawn. He lives close to the water on Auckland’s North Shore.

Publication: 13 March 2025  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004278-2 | RRP $21.00

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

The Treaty of Waitangi — everything you need to know

The Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Ross Calman

Highly topical addition to The NZ Series spans the past, present and future implications of the Treaty of Waitangi 

With The Treaty of Waitangi headlining political news in recent months, understanding its meaning and history has never been more important.  

 

In this engaging addition to The NZ Series, author and editor Ross Calman demystifies Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and unravels its complexities — offering a fresh, well-rounded perspective.

 

Opening by exploring the context for the treaty’s drafting, Calman tracks its signing around the country, and then delves deep into the text and translation that caused so much contention in the following years.

By exploring the political role that the Treaty has played, through to the formation of the Waitangi Tribunal and recent protests, The Treaty of Waitangi goes beyond history to offer a lens on today’s society.

Using extensive photos, fact boxes and quotes, the book views New Zealand’s founding document from a range of modern perspectives. It touches on the Treaty’s role in popular culture, treaty settlements, and the debate and promise of reconciliation it inspires.

It brings the Treaty story up to the present day with consideration of the highly controversial Treaty Principles Bill now before Parliament.

This eighth book in The NZ Series — a non-fiction resource for general readers and schools that introduces complex subjects in concise terms — publishes in time for Waitangi Day 2025. 

The author

Courtesy Auckland Libraries

Ross Calman (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa, Kāi Tahu) is a distinguished author and editor who has written widely on the Treaty of Waitangi and the New Zealand Wars. With Oratia Books his works include He Atua, He Tangata: The World of Māori Mythology and Favourite Māori Legends. He lives in Ōtautahi/Christchurch.

Publication: 21 January 2025  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004277-5 | RRP $29.99

Paperback, 240 x 160 mm portrait, 100 pages, colour

Activities galore in book that extends the fun of the hit New Bum! series

I Need a New Bum! Activity Book
Betsy Ochester and Dawn McMillan
Illustrated by Ross Kinnaird

The newest addition to the global phenomenon that is the New Bum! series aims to get young readers engaged and having fun.

Responding to demand from families around the world, the I Need a New Bum! Activity Book offers amazing mazes, word games, bum puzzles, drawing challenges, code crackers, jokes and more.

The cheeky young hero from the Bum books takes readers through an awesome bunch of activities to keep kids cracking up for hours. 

Open the pages to help him slide through a sand dune maze, blast into outer space in the best seat in the house, and figure out the punchlines to a load of bum jokes. There’s even a song to compose – ‘The Broken Bum Blues’!

Author and illustrator dream team Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird partnered with US puzzle expert Betsy Ochester to bring this fun-packed book to bum fans around the world.

With the zany drawings and silly humour of the New Bum! series, this activity book will keep the kids — and the whole family — entertained for hours.

The authors

Dawn McMillan is the much-loved author of many children’s books, including  I Need a New Bum!, My Bum is SO SPOOKY!, There’s a Moa in the Moonlight and Colour the Stars. She lives in Waiomu, north of Thames. 

Betsy Ochester is an editor, writer and puzzle creator for children. Betsy has worked on more than 200 puzzle, activity and non-fiction books for children. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

The illustrator

Ross Kinnaird is an illustrator and graphic designer whose books have been published in many countries, many of them in collaboration with Dawn. He lives close to the water on Auckland’s North Shore.

Publication: 5 November 2024  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004246-1 | RRP $21.00

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 48 pages, black & white

Multicultural picture book with Kiwi Indian main character tells the importance of people's names

 

What’s in a Name?
He aha tō te Ingoa?

Renisa Viraj Maki

Illustrated by Isobel Joy Te-Aho White

Translated by Hona Black

Heart-warming story for children explains the importance of  understanding and pronouncing people’s names 

Kiwi-Indian author Renisa Viraj Maki’s newest book tells a gentle and beautiful story about the mana our names carry. 

In a school that reflects modern, multicultural Aotearoa New Zealand, pupils from diverse cultures have names that might seem difficult to say – a situation that many children encounter. 

Priyanka definitely is worried when she is tasked with reading out the students’ names at the end-of-year assembly. Wanting to pronounce them correctly, she goes around the school yard to find her classmates and learn about their names.

Knowing how important the names are to her friends and their whānau, she practises hard to pronounce Arihia, Xinze, Somachandra, Sean and Tausa’afia – will she be ready for the big day?

Colourfully illustrated by award-winning artist Isobel Joy Te Aho-White and translated by bestselling author Hona Black, this is a book to read and reread at home and in school.

This bilingual book is available from all good booksellers. A free Teacher Resource is available from the Oratia website.

The author

Renisa Viraj Maki is a Kiwi-Indian leadership consultant and artist who is a graduate in art history. She is dedicated to writing stories that reflect cultural diversity; her first book The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street was a Storylines Notable Book. She lives in Auckland. 

The illustrator

Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu, UK, Denmark) has won many awards for her illustrations in children’s books. She lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington.

The translator

Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) lectures on teaching for Māori-medium schools at Massey University and is the author of three popular books about te reo. 

Publication: 5 November 2024  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004263-8 | RRP $22.99

Paperback, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

Poutini: landmark book documents the remarkable Māori history of the South Island West Coast

Poutini: The Māori History of the West Coast
Paul Madgwick

‘Māori have lived on Te Tai Poutini for at least as long as anywhere else on these islands called New Zealand, bound by ancient stories and a unique affinity to pounamu,’ says journalist, iwi historian and West Coaster Paul Madgwick. ‘So why is the Māori story so impoverished in a region so rich in storytelling?’ 

In his new 528-page book Poutini: The Māori History of the West Coast, Madgwick sets out to correct this by recording the Ngāi Tahu history of the West Coast, one of the most colourful of New Zealand regions.

Drawing on a lifetime of research, he grounds the history in early Poutini mythology and considers the migration to and occupation of Te Tai Poutini by different iwi (tribes), which led to conflicts for control of pounamu and land. 

He gives a detailed account of the succession of Māori settlements along the West Coast, interweaving pre-contact history with early interactions between Pākehā explorers and Ngāi Tahu, land sales and the allocation of Māori reserves, all of which also feature in dedicated chapters. 

The book takes in the impact of the West Coast gold rushes — and the pivotal role Poutini Ngāi Tahu played in these — and the two World Wars, development in the twentieth century through to the 1998 Ngāi Tahu Settlement, and the issues faced today. Throughout, it is the voices and images of Ngāi Tahu people that speak loud.

Although general histories of Te Tai Poutini are widely known throughout the iwi, knowledge has remained scattered and hidden, as noted by Sir Tipene O’Regan in his foreword. 

Poutini pulls these different histories into one place, incorporating a wealth of historic and contemporary photographs, detailed maps and whakapapa (genealogical charts).

This, then, is a comprehensive story of the Poutini coast, from the mists of legends to the bloody pounamu wars, the Māori discovery of gold to the feats of great mountain climbers, and the uneasy transition into a changing world.

Poutini is a joint publication of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Oratia Books. In addition to our thanks to Paul for his amazing work, Oratia acknowledges Helen Brown, Takerei Norton and Iain Gover and their team at Ngāi Tahu for all their mahi. 

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio is launching Poutini today at Māwhera Pā in Greymouth, and a public event to present the book will take place in early December in Hokitika. 

The author

Photo courtesy Greymouth Star

Paul Madgwick (Ngāti Māhaki, Ngāi Tahu) was born and bred in Hokitika. He has been involved with Poutini Ngāi Tahu affairs all his adult life. For two decades Paul has chaired Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, based at Maitahi. Considered an authority on the Māori history of Te Tai Poutini, Paul was also a key informant for the Ngāi Tahu digital public atlas, www.kahurumanu.co.nz. With a 40-year career in journalism, he has been editor of the Greymouth Star newspaper and related titles since 2005. Paul is one of two iwi councillors on the Westland District Council, and a member of the West Coast Mayors, Chairs and Iwi Forum. He lives on Te Tai Poutini with whānau.

Publication: 5 November 2024  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004244-7 | RRP $75.00

Hardback, 250 x 185 mm portrait, 528 pages, colour

There's a Crab in my Castle takes young readers to the rocky shore

There’s a Crab in my Castle / He Pāpaka kei taku Pā

Dawn McMillan

Illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson

Translated by Stephanie Huriana Fong

Fourth book in bilingual nature story series takes young readers to meet seaside creatures 

Summer is coming and there’s plenty of action for young readers down at the seashore in the latest addition to the nature story series by bestselling author Dawn McMillan.

When an inquisitive girl goes to the rocky shore she builds a sandcastle and soon gets many visitors: crab and sandhoppers, snapper, kina, manta ray and more.

 

The fun ensemble of seaside creatures is brought to life across colourful pages with evocative pictures.

With an info page about the animals encountered, There’s a Crab in my Castle encourages young readers to explore the rocky shore and learn about the creatures of sand and sea.

 

A classy hardback edition with bilingual text in English and Māori, this is a book for the bach and for whānau to read together at the end of a long day at the beach.

A teacher resource will be available on the Oratia website.

The Authors

Dawn McMillan is an internationally bestselling writer of children’s books who lives north of Thames. Among her many popular works are I Need a New Bum! and Colour the Stars. She began her Nature Series of books in 2018.

Nikki Slade Robinson is an award-winning, globally successful illustrator and writer who lives in Ōpōtiki. Among her other works are the Muddle and Mo series and The Seven Stars of Matariki. She has also illustrated Dawn's nature book There's a Tui in our Teapot and There's a Moa in the Moonlight. 

Stephanie Huriana Fong is a translator and TV presenter who lives with her whānau in Auckland. She has translated other books by Dawn including Kia Hou Taku Tou! (the Māori edition of I Need a New Bum!).

Publication Date: 15 October 2024 |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004262-1 |  RRP $25.99

Hardback, 270 x 210 mm, 32 pages colour