New Zealand Books

Most people are familiar with the 1994 movie by New Zealand director Peter Jackson, 'Heavenly Creatures' which stared Kate Winslet (of 'Titanic' fame) and Melanie Lynskey. 'Daughters of Heaven' is the play that the film was based on. On June 22 1954, on a secluded track in Christchurch's Victoria Park, Juliet Marion Hulme and Pauline Yvonne Parker bludgeoned Pauline's mother to death with a brick in a stocking. They were 15 and 16 years old. The play takes place, mostly, in the courtroom, with flashbacks of the events leading up to the murder of Honora Parker, to outline the evidence of the 'Killing of Mrs. Parker' to the audience (the court). It is both a story of a severly English-influenced New Zealand city being turned upside down by a cold blooded murder at the hands of two schoolgirls, and a story about love - the sweeping away of reason and morality in a crazy devotion. Juliet Hulme says, "We had the right to do what we needed to do in the interests of our own happiness". The play, in my opinion, is far more superior to the movie. The script is moving and repelling all at once, because as it seems like fiction, it is not. Most of the things said in the play are exactly as they were said in 1954. All of Pauline's diary entries are factual, as are the things said in court, in prision, even down to the way the girls, the families and the court acted. If you liked the movie version, then get your hands on this play. It is not to be missed.

I bought this book a year ago and have read it several times since. The photographs are stunning and the information easy to digest. I have a BS in marine science and found the book covered all aspects of New Zealand's ocean world-from geological formation, to sea-floor contours, and life above and below the ocean. The best comprehensive and well organized marine science book about New Zealand available. I would highly recomend to ALL ocean lovers who seek beauty and fascination beyond their own shores.

I recently had the honor of meeting the 80 year-old Hone at a poetry reading in Christchurch (New Zealand). To me, a New Zealander, Hone Tuwhare I regard as a living prophet. Open any New Zealand book of verse and Hone will fill a good twenty pages. It is impossible for me to say how important this man is to our country. His poetry is mystical, political, romantic - he captures the landscape and its people like no-one else ever has. You don't have to be a New Zealander to enjoy these either - they will be, I assure you, the most beautiful, energetic, natural, informed poems you will ever have the pleasure of reading. and in no way am I going to be able to put across the sheer wisdom that is "Deep river talk" with a list of adjectives. Its like cummings got lost in wilderness with Thomas Wolfe and built a monastery and they all came out drinking and laughing and singing Maori spirituals. Hell - just read it for yourself.

An excellent history of the introduction of Red Deer to New Zealand, the meat recovery industry and red tape power of small government departments. Don't be fooled by the title. There is a lot to this little book and I wish I could get hold of another copy. The cretin I loaned it to never returned it to me.

After I have read this book it is clear for me the principle that said the strategic mistakes never could be corrected by tactical proficiency.
The authors tell us how to train an infantry unit, in the field, in all weather, day and night, with long foot marches. Sometimes infantry units think that if they have trucks or IFV they don't need foot marches. This is a mistake, especially in Malvinas. The unit training must be focused to develop the offensive attitude in offensive or defensive operations.
The authors describe us the moral status of the argentine forces, more of them, especially the senior officers, thought the conflict could be solve by diplomatic means, no by the war. They thought like diplomats, not like soldiers. Another point is the lack of training of the argentine forces in limited visibility combat. The argentine forces were surprised by the British night operations, but this ability shouldn't have been a surprise, in 1955 the "Biblioteca del Oficial - Circulo Militar - Argentina (Argentine Army Officers library) publicized the "Rommel Memories" where the Marshal said that night attacks were a British's specialty". The authors said that the night vision devices are important, but they're only part of the solution; more important is to develop skills to fight at night.
In the end of the book, they tell us about the fight for Tumbledown hill. They remark the importance of every soldier can request fire support. They add the need to overcome the lack of communications in the middle of the fight. In their opinion, the static defense was the worst tactical mistake of the Argentine Command. It should have kept the initiative with a dynamic defense organized in the deep of battlefield.
To finish the book, Robacio and Hernandez, write some conclusions like that the argentine forces should have attacked the British's logistics and communications more than their front line units. The book stressed the heroism of the argentine soldiers, privates, NCO`s and officers. They added some lessons learned about how to train units and how give them logistical support.
I think it is a very good book. It has a lot of lessons learned with blood but unfortunately forgotten.

The Book Description in the Editorial Review for this book published on Amazon is incorrect. The aircraft piloted by Capt Smirnoff did not land on an isolated beach in Java, but rather on an isloated beach on the north-west coast of Western Australia.

This book relates an important but relatively unknown event in the history of Western Australia, and is a valuable and very readable addition to other information available on the incident. Importantly it adds to the literature available on the history of Western Australia. The graphic descriptions of the bombing of the flying boats in Broome harbour are also valuable from a historical perspective. Historically valuable, but also a rollicking good read.

I read an abstract of this one day in a Doctors waiting room 2-3 years ago and have been waiting for the oportunity to find the full book. Written in the trenches, this is the most graphic depiction anyone could imagine about the harshness of war (Galipolli).
An engrossing read I only put down because I came to the end, unfortunately.

This book is for anyone wanting to research the origins of Western musical culture in the Antipodes, with a close look at "the grandfather of Australian music" the composer and teacher Alfred Hill. Almost forgotten by his countrymen today, author John Mansfield Thompson acknowledges for the first time in this authoratitive book the importance of a fascinating life in music lived "down under" far from the more universally known and appreciated cultural mainstreams of Europe and America at the turn of the twentieth century. Hill used enormous personal influence and creative resource to initially help found the early orchestras and choral societies in Australia and New Zealand and was a revered teacher and conductor in his own time. Receiving his musical training in Europe at a time when names like Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Grieg were around, he is in some ways the creative figure who brought the flavour of all this music and the culture surrounding it to his antipodean home. An important chapter in the musical history of "down under" for anybody interested in knowing what was going on there musically in the early part of last century.

A sad commentary on accountability in the contemporary Australian Public Service. Using 'A Certain Maritime Incident' (the children overboard affair in November 2001) as a case study, this book raises a number of questions about the Australian political system.

How, for example, are ministers 'informed'? Should all advice be in writing? What records should be kept? What constitutes effective briefing? How strongly should officials insist that advice is acknowledged, even unwelcome advice? What is the role of ministerial staff?

These are issues not just for the Australian public administration: they are issues for all in public service.

Somewhere there is a balance between effective record keeping and responsiveness: the two cannot be mutually exclusive.

Sadly, though, reading this book would lead you to conclude that some senior managers - at least - think they are.

This is a short book (around 100 pages) but it raises some significant issues.

Highly recommended to all who care about some of the contemporary public sector issues.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Based on long field research in Dugum village in the early 1960es, this book deals with all aspects of the culture of the Grand Valley Dani. It is excellent and comprehensive, and will always remain the standard book written on this most famous of West Papuan ethnic groups.
See also Grand Valley Dani: Peaceful Warriors by the same author, which also covers recent changes/developments that have taken place since this book was written!