Latest CUP Events

Historian and CUP author Dr Geoffrey Rice at the launch of his latest book, Christchurch Crimes 1850-75, held at the University Bookshop at the University of Canterbury. More launch photos here.

2 April 2013
Collection of work by NZ’s first woman war poet revealed in new book
New Zealand’s first woman war poet has been revealed in a collection of poems released in The Judas Tree, the latest book by Canterbury University Press.

The Judas Tree contains a collection of 55 startling poems written by Christchurch poet Lorna Staveley Anker and edited by writer Bernadette Hall. The collection contains the best of her published poems and a substantial number never seen before.

25 March 2013
New book explores the stunning landscapes and nature of NZ's West Coast
An in-depth guide to exploring the beautiful natural features and wildlife of the West Coast has been released in a new book by ecologist Kerry-Jayne Wilson.

West Coast Walking: A naturalist’s guide, is a detailed guide to the remarkable nature of the West Coast and includes introductory chapters describing the physical, botanical and zoological features. The bulk of the book is a guide to the natural features to be seen on West Coast tracks, highways, lakes and lagoons.

23 November 2012
Crimes from Christchurch’s colonial past brought to life
The long forgotten, colourful and shocking crimes of early colonial Christchurch are brought to life in Professor Geoffrey W. Rice’s latest book.

Christchurch Crimes 1850-75: Scandal and Skulduggery in Port and Town, reveals the reality of the life and crimes of Cantabrians in the first 25 years of the settlement in a narrative written from actual newspaper reports, police reports and court minute books from the era.

23 November 2012
Blazing a trail through fire-fighting history
An in-depth history of rural fire-fighting in New Zealand, published by Canterbury University Press, is blazing a trail through a previously unexplored aspect of our nation’s past.

Fire in the Hills: A History of Rural Fire-fighting in New Zealand,by Wellington writer and editor Helen Beaglehole, is the first account of how New Zealand came to have a rural fire-fighting network.

1 November 2012
Book a celebration of small-town New Zealand
A new book about community halls of small-town New Zealand records important moments in our social history that are in danger of being lost, and celebrates the spirit and strength of rural communities nationwide.

On a Saturday Night: Community Halls of Small-town New Zealand, the latest book from Canterbury University Press, is written by Michele Frey and Sara Newman and features striking photographs by John Maillard and John O’Malley.

3 October 2012
Family story sheds light on NZ’s Italian connections
A little-known strand of New Zealand’s post-colonial history is unearthed in a lively and moving account of one family’s story, published by Canterbury University Press this month.

Family Business: An Italian-New Zealand Story is the work of Wellington-born, Australian-based medieval scholar and publisher Vincent Moleta who has written a moving account of his family’s determined efforts to establish a new life in a new country.

21 August 2012
Prestigious award for editor of CUP book
University of Canterbury librarian and editor of the Canterbury University Press book Treasures of the University of Canterbury Library, Bronwyn Matthews, has been awarded the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa’s prestigious John Harris Award for her work on the CUP book.