Despite its geographical isolation from the traditional centres of the operatic world, Aotearoa New Zealand has produced a remarkable number of exceptional opera singers in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and this tradition shows every sign of continuing. Of all these outstanding ‘southern voices’, the most immediately and internationally recognisable is Dame Kiri te Kanawa, who celebrated her eightieth birthday on Wednesday 6 March 2024. You can access tributes to, and interviews with Kiri te Kanawa via Radio New Zealand, including Playing Favourites with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa,&nb ..read more

Māori Literature Trust has embarked  on a Project of 100 Kaituhi Māori, and has recently highlighted two gifted Te Āti Awa writers. Read Maori Literature Trust’s author spotlight on Alice Te Punga Somerville here, and a bibliography of her writing here, via komako.org.nz. Below are the pukapuka by Alice that we have in our libraries: Once were Pacific : Māori connections to Oceania / Te Punga Somerville, Alice “Native identity is usually associated with a particular place. But what if that place is the ocean? Once Were Pacific explores this question as it considers how Māori and other P ..read more

While we look forward to ComicFest 2024, meet Isobel Joy Te Aho-White in this “5 minutes with” interview. Self-portrait illustration of Isobel Joy Te Aho-White. What first got you interested in comics?  I grew up reading the Asterix and Tintin series, both were staples in New Zealand libraries in the 90s. My twin sister and I would get stacks of them and swap them after we’d done reading.  What is your average day like?  I start work late and go to bed late. Usually, my day begins with emails or meetings before I ease myself into drawing, with a break to cook dinner, which is an ..read more

It was a delight to read that Huia Publishers have been announced as winners of the Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s  Publishers of the Year, Oceania, at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy. It does not seem like 30 years since the Huia Publishers appeared on the landscape of New Zealand publishing, and I well remember those early days of the deeply dedicated mahi of Robyn and Brian Bargh, and later, Brian Morris, as well as their (as always) deeply committed staff. Read about their big win over on The Spinoff, and find out more about Huia here. Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanu ..read more

Our Katūīvei Pasifika Poetry Readings event is almost here, so we thought we’d introduce you to some of the talented poets who will be reading at the event! Join us on Friday at Te Puna Waiora Newtown Library, 6-7pm for a dynamic night of contemporary poetry readings to celebrate the launch of this exciting new book (published by Massey University Press) hosted by former Poet Laureate and editor David Eggleton. Karlo Mila MNZM is a Pasifika writer and poet of Tongan (the villages of Kolofo’ou and Ofu), as well as Samoan and Pākehā descent. Her first collection, Dream Fish Floating (Huia ..read more

Whether you’re wanting to build your body strength, understand autism, build resilience in the face of a changing climate or get a good night’s sleep, we’ve got plenty of new health books in the collection to walk you through your health journey.  Try some of these we’ve selected below: Forever strong : a new, science-based strategy for aging well / Lyon, Gabrielle “After years of watching patients cycle through her practice, Dr Gabrielle Lyon noticed a pattern. While her patients struggled with a wide range of conditions, they all suffered from the same core problem: they had too little ..read more

From the 13th to the 28th of April, we invite you to join us for WHODUNNIT? at Wellington City SPYbraries and enter a world of detectives, spies, espionage, and mystery. We have a whole range of exciting activities planned for you – race against the clock to solve a mystery, search through your local library – sorry, SPYbrary – to solve the mystery of the Golden Tickets, create your own kit of spy gadgets, or put together a tricksy maze using our LEGO® sets – there’s something for everyone! Wellington City Libraries will also be welcoming two authors into our spaces over the Apr ..read more

While we look forward to ComicFest 2024, meet Lily Duval in this “5 minutes with” interview. Self-portrait by Lily Duval What first got you interested in comics? From about the age of 5, I was obsessed with Tintin. I loved the clean lines of the drawing style and his wild adventures. Captain Haddock is a terrible role model for a child but I loved him the most. He was often drunk, had a seemingly endless supply of creative obscenities (some of which are terrible to read now) and was altogether pretty hapless. I even cut my hair like Tintin in my early twenties (shaved all over with a ‘party at ..read more

Daniel Clowes is one of the great alternative comic book writers of all time, with titles such as Ghost World and Like a velvet glove cast in iron. He has returned after 7 years with a new book called Monica, about a woman searching for her freewheelin’ parents who abandoned her when she was a child. If Daniel Clowes is not your thing, we also have a great selection of other new graphic novels such as a new Hellboy title and a memoir by Ai Weiwei. If you love comics and graphic novels, don’t miss ComicFest on 4th May at the National Library! It will be a fun day of workshops, talks, comic give ..read more

These new books critically examine how dominant ideas and power dynamics have influenced our interpretation and application of shared concepts. They question established paradigms and power structures, offering a range of perspectives from sexual wellness and psychology to the history of emotions and the intersection of philosophy, politics, and drug use. They delve into how external forces, such as psychological studies or the experience of grief, can shape one’s sense of self. They also primarily challenge or reframe common beliefs, assumptions, and narratives around these subjects, encourag ..read more