New Zealand Books

A wonderful read for any trekking enthusiast, someone interested in New Zealand or observers of "human nature." Ms. Orrell's charming command of language combined with her marvelous powers of observation and sense of adventure makes for a compelling, unique travelogue. Well worth the several week wait.

In the 1980s governments of the political left undertook broad reaching market reforms in both Australia and New Zealand. The New Zealand reforms (deregulation of almost all industries, removal of almost all tariffs and subsidies and later almost total labour market deregulation) were most pronounced. This was combined with expected goals of the (new) left (recognition of traditional rights for indegenous peoples through the Treaty of Waitangi Act, and the banning of Nuclear Warships) to produce a Government which was particularly right leaning on economic matters and left leaning on social matters. This book (along with Paul Kelly's "The End of Certainty) are the definitive description of this Antipodean social experiment, an experiment from which both countries are gradually retreating. Bath water really does swirl down the drain in the opposite direction down here.

I just recently finished reading this little book, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't know much about NZ. It is indeed a "quick guide" but it has a surprising amount of information packed into a few pages. My only "complaint" is that the author doesn't mention any negatives--I'm willing to believe it's a wonderful place, but there must be SOMETHING less than fabulous about it. All in all, it was worth the purchase.

We get an analysis of NZ's foreign policy issues in the last few years. The globalising in the title is not confined to purely economic matters of offshoring. Some chapters delve into the effects of the WTO on NZ's trade activities. But most of the book concerns NZ's activities in the Pacific. Its foreign policies have been distinct from Australia's. In part reflecting historical tendencies to assert a separate identity from a much larger and economically dominant neighbour.

Thus one chapter describes how in the Bougainville unrest, NZ was able to play a more honest broker role than Australia. Since Australia had historically maintained close ties with the Moresby government, the rebels in Bougainville regarded Australia as too biased to act as an effective peacemaker.

Another chapter deals with the contentious arena of French nuclear testing. NZ took strong exception to this, and we see the amount of diplomatic effort expended was considerable.

"This editionfirst published 1977
by john McIndoe Limited, 51 Crawford Street, Dunedin

ISBN 0 908565 31 3 Casebound
ISBN 0 908565 32 1 Paper

Foreword (c) James Bertram 1977
This selection (c) John McIndoe 1977

Printed in New Zealand
by John McIndoe Limited, Dunedin"

INDEX of FIRST LINES
INDEX of AUTHORS

-- no info about dustcover, but likely was there, as no printing on face of my hardcover

- so, Amazon has separate, not linked listings of each ISBN

"This editionfirst published 1977
by john McIndoe Limited, 51 Crawford Street, Dunedin

ISBN 0 908565 31 3 Casebound
ISBN 0 908565 32 1 Paper

Foreword (c) James Bertram 1977
This selection (c) John McIndoe 1977

Printed in New Zealand
by John McIndoe Limited, Dunedin"

INDEX of FIRST LINES
INDEX of AUTHORS

-- no info about dustcover, but likely was there, as no printing on face of my hardcover

- so, Amazon has separate, not linked listings of each ISBN

I find it fascinating to pore over the record charts of other countries, compare and contrast them to the US, UK, etc. This book presents the chart data from the New Zealand charts from when they began in 1966 to 1996, featuring chart entry date, peak position, weeks on chart, etc., and is quite revealing about that nation's musical tastes and history. NZ and Australian artists fare better in these charts than they generally do elsewhere, but major US and UK artists certainly show up in strength. The book is perhaps unecessarily large in size and the weekly number one list at the back could have been laid out more felicitously, but I won't quibble about that. I do dock it a star for ethnic chauvinism, though (the author, in the foreward, calls the US and UK charts "a joke" : not very sporting, mate).

The premise of this book is contained in the fact that no part of New Zealand lies more than 60 miles from the ocean as the crow flies. Following an initial introductory chapter, the book moves to a long, scintillating series of aerial photographs of New Zealand's coastal features, beginning with the northerly coast of South Island, moving down the western coast and proceeding all around that island. The photographs of the Fiordland Park sounds, particularly the little-known Dusky and Doubtful Sounds, cannot be described adequately in terms of beauty by word alone. They must be seen to be believed.

The book is broken into coastal sections, and each chapter is preceded by a clear, eloquent commentary, followed by the pictures. Additionally, each photo has its own small, but informative comment. These narratives, althogh rather short, contain much information about New Zealand that doesn't seem to have been published elsewhere. The reader comes away with an enhanced urge to visit, or revisit, this amazing nation.

The same process is used on North Island, beginning at Wellington, and then proceeding up the coast and around the island back to Wellington. In particular, the photos of Mt. Egmont, a dormant volcano, are breathtaking.

My only reservation about the book was its failure to show the interior volcanic area of North Island, but that is a small quibble. If you want to go to New Zealand, you should read this book. If you can't go, save it for your dreams. I own the book, and I won't loan it out to anyone. Highly recommended.

This book is about Don Stott and "Z" Force, a New Zealand & Australian special forces unit that operated in SE Asia in WW2. Z Force was an ANZAC unit that conducted some successful raids on the Japanese in SE Asia, much of the experience for setting up the unit having come from the British SAS, SOE and Commando units and from ANZAC troops who had served with these units earlier in the war. Don Stott was one of these, the book largely focuses on him and the Kiwi contribution to Z force. There were other raids conducted by primarily Australian troops on Singapore - there's a couple of other good books on these.

Donald John Stott was born in Birkenhead on 23 October 1914, and grew up in the district. When he left school he joined the New Zealand Herald as a rotary machinist. He enlisted in the New Zealand Army in 1940, and quickly rose to the rank of Sergeant in the Artillery. During 1940 he left New Zealand with the Second Echelon. He fought in Greece and in the Crete campaign of May 1941, where he was wounded and captured by the Germans. After spending two months in a Prisoner of War camp in Greece he escaped, and after seven months on the run, managed to obtain a boat and sail across the Mediterranean Sea to North Africa where he rejoined his unit.

In 1942 Don Stott was commissioned. He was asked if he was interested in going back to Greece to carry out sabotage work, to which he readily agreed. He attended a parachute course, and after many delays, finally parachuted into Greece in March 1943, where he made contact with guerilla bands who were fighting the Germans. During his period in Greece, Don Stott was responsible for many acts of sabotage, one of which was carrying out a daring raid that resulted in the demolition of the strategically crucial, heavily defended and virtually inaccessible Aspos Gorge railway viaduct, one of the greatest exploits of the Second World War, and one which changed the course of the war in Greece. For this action he was recommended by his commanding officer for The Victoria Cross, but because there had been no shots fired during the action, was eventually awarded the Distinguished Service Order. The Colonel who was Second-in-Command of the British Mission to Greece described Don Stott as "the bravest man I ever knew".

Towards the end of 1943 the Germans realised that the war on the Eastern Front was going badly for them, and as Italy had capitulated, the odds were against them. They therefore wished to discuss the possibility of a truce. The Mayor of Athens approached Don Stott and asked him to a meeting with the Germans to discuss proposals for peace. Although this would place him at considerable risk, Don agreed to take part, and after many meetings was given safe passage by the Germans to Turkey, from where he returned to Cairo to put the proposals to the Allies. Although nothing came of the proposals, Don was awarded a Bar to his D.S.O. for his part in the operation.

Major Don Stott returned to New Zealand in May 1944, before going to Australia where he was on loan to the Australian Army as an expert on Special Service work. There he was attached to "Z" Special Unit, a highly secret force of commandos and saboteurs, which was to create havoc behind enemy lines in south-east Asia. This unit, with Major Don Stott in command, was sent on a special operation into Japanese territory in Borneo. The unit was taken to the area by submarine, and on the night of 20-21 March 1945, a very stormy night, set off in folboats (similar to kayaks) for the shore. Major Don Stott was never sighted again. On that day New Zealand lost one of its bravest heroes, a man who, perhaps, had come to the end of his nine lives after cheating death so many times. He had crammed more into his 30 years than most people would into two lifetimes.

Very interested book on one narrow facet of WW2 special forces ops. Good detail, well-written.

I first read this book about 15 years ago with great interest as it was written about one of my wifes relatives this is the second book about the life of James Douglas Stark,a fearless soldier of the ww1 the first book, also written by Hyde is called passport to helland is more to do with his feats during the first world war both books make fascinating reading