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