What’s New McNab  

Augustus Koch - Mapmaker: The Life and Work of Augustus Koch (1834-1901): Artist, Designer, Draughtsman and Cartographer. Rolf W. Brednich.

Koch was a Berlin-born and trained draughtsman and lithographer who settled in NZ in 1858, eventually becoming a draughtsman for the Public Works Department where he produced many hundreds of maps in his career as one of the colony’s finest mapmakers. As well as their beauty, Koch’s maps are significant as documents of the process of European colonisation and the political and economic struggles it entailed.

A Hidden Economy: Māori in the Privatised Military Industry. Maria Bargh.

Bargh’s book uncovers the large proportion of Māori working as private military contractors, or mercenaries, who labour around the world in a secretive and little-discussed industry. Bargh interviews five Māori who work in the industry, offering a rare glimpse into how the industry operates.

A History of New Zealand Women. Barbara Brookes.

A significant achievement, this is the first narrative history of New Zealand women, written by prominent historian Barbara Brookes, Professor of History at the University of Otago. The book ranges over the decades from first settlement by Māori to the contemporary status of women in New Zealand in the 21st century and is illustrated with excellent photographs and full colour reproductions of art work by New Zealand women artists.

New Zealand Photography Collected. Athol McCredie.

This is a fabulous collection of New Zealand photography from the 1850s to the present, put together by Te Papa curator Athol McCredie from Te Papa’s extensive collection.

Out of the Shadows: The Life of Millicent Baxter. Penny Griffith.

Penny Griffith sheds light on the wife of New Zealand’s best known conscientious objector and mother of the famous poet. Millicent Baxter turned her back on a life of privilege and prosperity to live with Archibald Baxter, a poor rabbiter, and dedicated her life to the pacifist cause.

Polluted Inheritance: New Zealand’s Freshwater Crisis. Mike Joy.

New Zealand’s rivers, streams and lakes are under immense pressure from the intensification of dairy farming, to the point that New Zealand now has the highest proportion of threatened and at-risk species in the world. In this book renowned scientist Mike Joy issues an urgent call to reverse the damage being done to our freshwater eco-systems, and implement government policies that will ensure the long-term sustainability of agriculture.