Oratia Books on the move to Upstart Distribution and Archetype Book Agents

From this Wednesday 1 April 2026, Upstart Distribution becomes the New Zealand distributor for Oratia Books titles, and sales representation moves to Archetype Book Agents. 

Based in Penrose, Auckland, Upstart Distribution is a highly regarded distributor of books for New Zealand publishers, and is led by legendary publishers Kevin Chapman and Pat Dunmore.

Archetype Book Agents, managed by industry stalwarts Neil Brown and Craig Gamble, has a network of respected sales agents across New Zealand. It represents many of the country’s leading publishers including Allen & Unwin and the university presses of Auckland, Massey, Te Herenga Waka and Otago. 

 

‘We look forward greatly to working with the talented Upstart and Archetype teams to take Oratia Books to readers throughout Aotearoa,’ commented Oratia Books’ publisher Peter Dowling. 

 

‘Our sincere appreciation to departing commissioned reps Gary Shannon, Dennis Morgan and Carol Kavanagh for their outstanding service to us over the years. All the best with your next chapters.

 

‘We also owe a debt of gratitude to our distributors since 2009, Bookreps NZ (previously Publishers Distribution Ltd) for their years of sterling work on our behalf.’ 

 

All orders for Oratia Books from April onwards should be directed to Upstart Distribution customer services: orders@upstartdist.nz, 09 280 3202. 

 

Look out for the Oratia Books Catalogue 2026, coming in April, for our growing list of new and backlist books. 

 

For any enquiries, please contact Peter (peter@oratia.co.nz) or Belinda Cooke, sales and marketing consultant (belinda@oratia.co.nz).

Support New Zealand Books

Books are essential!

We invite you to support New Zealand authors, illustrators, designers, editors and everyone one who works locally in the publishing business. Oratia Books is an independent New Zealand publisher, specialising in local children books, Māori books, history and more. Please check out our website or ask for our New Zealand-made books at your favourite bookstore.

Staying afloat during the COVID-19 lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our accustomed way of living and working, and caused death and suffering in many countries. 

In February we were in close contact with our agent, printers and colleagues in China as the first wave of the coronavirus spread there. Happily everyone has made it through well and normal life is resuming.

Flying the Italian Tricolore in Oratia

Now we are feeling saddened and worried for our family and friends in Italy, and extend our amore and solidarietà to all, especially in Alessandra’s home areas of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia and Veneto, who have been hit so hard by the virus. Il nostro cuore è con voi!

Our most sincere condolences to Paola della Valle, author of the Oratia book From Silence to Voice, who has lost of her mother to the epidemic in Turin. Our heart goes out to you, Paola. 

The spread of the disease to other parts of Europe and North America is gravely concerning, and we wish our family, friends and business partners there all the best for this challenging period. 

We applaud the New Zealand government’s move to a Level 4 alert here, which is confining New Zealanders to their homes for four weeks minimum and closing all but essential work and services. 

The latest title in The NZ Series will now publish on 8 May

Oratia is lucky to be a home-based business so there was no need for a transition to remote work. We feel for our publishing colleagues and bookstores who had to reconfigure rapidly as the lockdown closed in on us. 

We are all having to adapt to not being able to sell or ship physical books while these are considered non-essential services.

The first consequence is rescheduling our next two books. Rush to Riches: Kauri and Gold moves from April to an 8 May publication date — the books are printed and ready now, but we have no way to distribute them.

Harry Sangl’s beautiful painting collection Te Kuia Moko: The Last Tattooed Maori Women, which is printing in New Zealand, will now publish on 9 June. 

Te Kuia Moko will now be available in June

The Oratia Books 2020 Catalogue will be out later this week, as planned. All the books are on schedule for completion this year, and we’ll just have to adapt timing and print options depending on how the fight against COVID-19 proceeds. 

Our New Zealand booksellers are the key to keeping New Zealand authors are print, so while shops are closed we recommend readers to bide their time and then get back to their local bookseller (be it bricks-and-mortar or online) once it's safe to do so.

The 2020 catalogue is ready

In the interim now we’re looking into expanding our Ebook range, to ensure more of our books continue to be available to readers. 

Among the industry initiatives underway — virtual launches, online reading and sharing of favourite reads – some of our authors are taking the lead also. Click here for Tim Tipene’s reading of Māui – Sun Catcher. 

Meanwhile useful advice from the Publishers Association of New Zealand, some of which is of general interest, is available here.

We wish everyone a safe and healthy period at home, and we’ll keep in contact. 

Farewell to the much-loved Paul Greenberg

It was with great sadness that we learned this week of the passing of Paul Greenberg after a long illness.

That sadness has been shared throughout the book trade, of which Paul was a respected and beloved member.

Paul had joined the book trade in the late 1960s as a sales representative for A.H. & A.W. Reed, and over the subsequent 50 years worked with and for many of the great publishers and booksellers.

The inimitable Mr Greenberg – known for his charm, professionalism, sartorial elegance and gentlemanly ways – was the consummate sales rep.

With his partner Joan Roulston, Paul had operated Greene Phoenix Marketing over the past two decades, travelling the length and breadth of the country to market local and international books.

They enthusiastically represented Oratia Books in most of the North Island from 2009 until 2017, when health reasons obliged Paul reluctantly to “hang up his slate”.

See this summary of his contribution from Booksellers NZ this week.

Paul, thank you for all you did for us. Things won't be the same without you.

All about the book: from the Booksellers New Zealand Conference 2017

Plaudits to Booksellers New Zealand (https://www.booksellers.co.nz) for hosting a stimulating conference at Rydges Auckland over the weekend.

The business day on Saturday enabled publishers to meet with many of the leading independent booksellers from across the country and to catch up with colleagues and peers, while Sunday offered up a smorgasbord of conference content.

On Saturday evening the Book Industry Awards celebrated the high achievers from bookselling and publishing, in a fun and emotional dinner memorably MC'ed by Selina Tusitala Marsh. Click on this link for an awards round-up.

Selina Marsh gets the Awards dinner singing

Among the winners were the much-admired Gecko Press (Publisher of the Year), Time Out Bookstore (Nielsen Bookshop of the Year) and Ruth and the late John McIntyre of The Children's Bookshop Kilbirine (Lifetime Achievement Award).

While many good bookstores are doing well, rising high street rents are hurting many, while the GST-free status that offshore online retailers continues to hurt the NZ industry.

Do keep supporting your local booksellers — in these days of remote, unreliable communications, the role of the bookshop as a centre of community and ideas has never been more important.

Industry legends Paul Greenberg (sales rep to many publishers including Oratia) and Bruce Caddy (UBS Otago)