Warrior Kids Returns

After a year's break, youth work and award-winning author Tim Tipene is back teaching his Warrior Kids and Master Arts classes.

Tim has set up a customised studio for his classes alongside his home in Ranui, West Auckland.

A 5th Dan Black Belt with a graduate certificate in child and adolescent mental health, Tim started his Warrior Kids programme in 1994.

The martial-arts based programme, which teaches children resilience and self-control, has become a fixture in schools and communities for over 18 years, reaching thousands of children. The Master Arts classes teach teenagers and adults the finer aspects of martial arts in the pursuit of self-mastery.

“I’m delighted to be back offering classes from our new studio, and look forward to enriching the lives of children, teenagers and adults through Warrior Kids and Master Arts,” Tim said.

Tim is also an award-winning author; his ninth book, the young adult novel Patu, was released last November by local publisher Oratia Media and has gained a strong response in New Zealand and overseas.

Tim Tipene runs weekly Warrior Kids and Master Arts Classes in West Auckland. For more information visit www.warriorkids.org or

phone (09) 8339408 or 021 525450.

New Zealand Tattoo in Hamilton

The International Tattoo & Art Expo will take place in Hamilton at Claudelands Event Centre this coming weekend, 23-24 February, with over 120 exhibitors showing their body art and taking commissions for work. Our book New Zealand Tattoo: In the home of the tattooist's art will be there as well, on sale at the booth of artist Steve Maddock from Underground Arts - and photographer Chris Hoult will be there to sign the book and take photos on Sunday 24 February.

For more on the expo, click here

Libro in Tokyo

This bookstore in the Shiodome City Center in Tokyo's Shimbashi district caught my eye during our recent stay in Japan. It's good to see that Libro means book even in Japan!

Peter

Japantown debut eagerly awaited

The debut thriller from Tokyo-based author Barry Lancet will be launched on 3 September 2013 - and Japantown, published by Simon & Schuster (New York), is gaining great advance notices. 

The following comes from Simon & Schusterh (http://books.simonandschuster.com/Japantown/Barry-Lancet/9781451691719

Drawing on a wealth of insider information on Japanese culture, Japantown offers a riveting read and a terrific new series character in Jim Brodie.

Barry is a former Executive Editor of Kodansha International, and Peter worked for him on many Japanese books during the 1990s. Here's to the success of Japantown and the dawning of Jim Brodie, San Francisco antique dealer and sometime Tokyo private investigator. 

Oratia Media and Gazelle seal global distribution partnership

Independent publisher Oratia Media and book distributor Gazelle Book Services today announced a partnership to market Oratia’s Libro International books worldwide (excluding the Americas and Australasia).

Gazelle will exclusively distribute Libro International books from its UK base through its sales representatives in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

The agreement comes as a result of negotiations commenced at the October 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair, at which New Zealand was country of honour.

“''The Gazelle mission is to bring choice and availability to our customers, and the quality of Oratia Media’s publishing in both trade and scholarly books left us in no doubt that we just had to bring these books across the globe,” said Mark Trotter, Managing Director of Gazelle Book Services.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Gazelle,” said Oratia Media Managing Director, Peter Dowling. “We launched Libro International in 2009 to connect New Zealand and Italian authors with a world audience, and working with Mark and his team is an important step in that direction.”

Gazelle Book Services is a leading international distributor of trade and academic books, with direct sales representation across much of the world. Established in 1988, Gazelle has its offices and warehouse in historic Lancaster, Lancashire; see www.gazellebookservices.co.uk

Oratia Media is a publishing services company based in Oratia, Auckland, established in 2000. It publishes children’s, Maori, history and general non-fiction books through its Libro International arm.

For further information, contact:

Isabell Zitzelsberger   09 838 2685 / 022 156 7470   isabell@oratiamedia.com

Libro International, a division of Oratia Media

www.librointernational.com

Te Ara in the German media

The website New Zealand in Germany is featuring an interview with Te Ara writers and curators Paul Tapsell, Merata Kawharu and Hirini Tane - follow the link

http://nzdeutschland.info/das-1-buch-in-englisch-maori-deutsch/

Last Gasp, US distributor for New Zealand Tattoo, share their passion for the book

Read their blog here

Horouta launch in Gisborne

The launch of the reprinted Horouta, Rongowhakaata Halbert's classic history of the East Coast descendants of the Horouta canoe, made for a memorable night on 13 December at the Mangatu Blocks conference hall. 

Tessa Duder at the Sir Peter Blake Regatta

Author Tessa Duder talks about The Story of Sir Peter Blake in coverage of the annual regatta held to honour the great sailor.

You can see the whole video here 

A special celebration

Peter, Isabell and Sascha (Isabell's partner) were delighted to travel to the northern Hokianga to tautoko Pā Henare Tate for a day of celebrations on 1 December - marking his Golden Jubilee (50 years) as a priest, the Silver Jubilee of the house Tamatea at Motuti marae, and the official launch of Pā's book He Puna Iti i te Ao Mārama.

The day started at Panguru with Pā officiating at the unveiling of a headstone for Himi Hauata, attended by family members from as far away as Canada and Australia.

Pa Tate welcoming family members to the first event of the day, the unveiling of the headstone              for Himi Hauata

Guests then travelled to Motuti for the first of two pōwhiri - welcoming visitors to the marae and, later, Pā with his fellow priests. 

The hau kainga at Motuti await the arrival of the manuhiri

The lunch marquee, where some 360 guests enjoyed the best of Northland fare

 After the pōwhiri and mass, a fine lunch was served in the wharekai and a specially erected marquee. Then it was time to launch He Puna Iti i te Ao Mārama officially. 

Pā had already ritually initiated the book (see blog of 26 November) but this was the official presentation to the people of Motuti. Pā blessed the book and outlined his aims in seeking to ground Christian theology in the Māori world view. Peter spoke of his pride in publishing such a significant work, and acknowledged the contributions and support received from many parties. 

Pā Tate blesses the book

Publisher Peter Dowling supporting the book's release

 A big queue formed to buy signed copies of He Puna Iti i te Ao Mārama, testament to the aroha and esteem felt for Pā. The sun was out, the fine students of Hato Petera college took to the marae atea to entertain, and a memorable day drew to a close.

Students from Hato Petera college entertain the many guests

Horouta out now

M E D I A    R E L E A S E

28 November 2012

HOROUTA

The History of the Horouta Canoe, Gisborne and East Coast

Rongowhakaata Halbert

A classic of tribal history back in print

Few works in New Zealand publishing rival the scope of Horouta, the definitive history of the descendants of those voyaging canoes that brought the first settlers from Polynesia to the lands that stretch from East Cape to northern Hawke’s Bay.

Horouta looks back over a thousand-year period to tell the origins of iwi including Ngati Porou, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngati Kahungunu and Ngai Tahu. Its three parts respectively present a narrative history, whakapapa, and maps of lands settled, in a fine, jacketed hardback.

Rongowhakaata Halbert (1894–1973) devoted his life to compiling Horouta, but died before it could be completed. Family members led by the late Te Nonoikura Haronga brought the work to publication in 1999; the present edition brings Horouta back into print.

This outstanding work of scholarship will be in bookstores from the end of November, and will have a formal launch at the Mangatu Block conference hall in Gisborne on 13 December.

Release Date: 30 November 2012  | ISBN: 978-1-877514-32-6 | RRP $120

496 pages