News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Here is a selection of recent arrivals in the New Zealand Collection, this month there is a wide variety of topics.

Piano forte : stories and soundscapes from colonial New Zealand / Kirstine Moffat.
“This book focuses on the era in which the piano became of central significance in the private, social and cultural lives of many New Zealanders. The stories begin in 1827, with the arrival of what was probably the first piano to be brought to New Zealand, and end in 1930. Initially, a European musical instrument that introduced Maori to a new sound world and which provided European settlers with a reassuring sense of ‘home’.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Food@home / Christine Dann.
“A journey through the new ‘foodways’ that are evolving in New Zealand. Author/gardener/cook Christine Dann looks at the ways in which food production, distribution, preparation and service are being brought back home to produce superior food with minimal environmental impact. Christine’s journey starts with the rediscovery of home food gardening traditions of both Maori and Pakeha, and ends at the dining table where a delicious healthy feast is being served.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The occupiers : New Zealand veterans remember post-war Japan / Alison Parr.
“Twelve thousand New Zealand men and women served in the occupation of Japan immediately after the Second World War. This book records memories from those we know as ‘J Force’. The Occupiers explores Kiwi life in the former enemy territory between 1946 and 1948.Veterans recall the horror of witnessing the devastated city of Hiroshima. They describe their culture shock and adjustment to unfamiliar customs. These stories uncover a little-known but fascinating aspect of New Zealand’s post-war experience.” – (Syndetics summary)

Rebel with a cause / Ray Avery with Paul Little.
“Rebel With a Cause is the inspiring story of a true Kiwi hero who overcame childhood neglect and abuse to become a successful scientist and businessman, and who has saved millions of lives in the third world. He has invented inexpensive lenses for cataract sufferers, low-cost and effective incubators for babies, and a number of other creative scientific and medicinal solutions for the third world. Ray encourages other talented people to get on board and tackle some of the really big problems confronting the poor in developing countries. Rebel With a Cause is fascinating, deeply moving and, at times, very funny.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Workers in the margins : union radicals in post-war New Zealand / Cybèle Locke.
“Marginalised workers of the late twentieth century were those last hired in times of plenty and first fired in times of recession. Often women, Māori, or people from the Pacific, they were frequently unemployed, and marginalised within the union movement as well as the labour force. The world of trade unions and employment conflicts, such as the 1951 waterfront lockout, was vigorous and challenging. As free market policies deregulated the labour market and splintered the union movement toward the end of the century, Te Roopu Rawakore o Aotearoa, the national unemployment and beneficiaries’ movement, gave a new voice to workers in the margins” – (adapted from Publisher’s summary)

Swirly World sails south / Andrew Fagan.
“In 2007, Kiwi musician and radio personality Andrew Fagan set sail in his tiny 5.4-metre plywood yacht to circumnavigate New Zealand. All in all he sailed over 3000 miles (around 5000 km) in two months. Fagan tells of having to avoid icebergs, sail through a force ten storm and visit sites of shipwrecks at Port Ross in the Auckland Island group. ‘With the genuine concern of a very fatigued person, I was sailing for my life and I knew it!’ Swirly World Sails South is a sharply accurate and humorous narrative that offers a unique and refreshing perspective on the world of solo sailing.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The quake year / Fiona Farrell ; photographs by Juliet Nicholas.
“Everyone in Christchurch has their own story of the quakes. There are heroic and brave stories related to the events themselves, and also longer narratives of endurance over the months of aftershocks. No one will ever forget this year. In The quake year … author Fiona Farrell interviews people trying to live ordinary lives in extraordinary times” – (from Back cover)