Upstart Press

Home
New Zealand
Auckland
Upstart Press

A leading independent publisher of high quality New Zealand books 📚

24/12/2025

From all of us at Upstart Press, we wish you a Meri Kirihimete and a Happy New Year!

These holidays, we hope you find time to relax, recharge, and enjoy a good book 📚

14/12/2025

Our 2025 Christmas gift guide is here! 🎄🎁

Give the gift of New Zealand with this selection of lovely books.

Read inspirational and wise takes in 'Arohanui: My Aotearoa New Zealand' and quotes in 'Nowhere far from the sea'. Analyse our nations documents in 'Founding Documents of Aotearoa New Zealand', explore the stories passed down for generations in 'Pūrākau: Legendary Māori Tales' and learn our native mammals in 'New Zealand’s Native Mammals'.

📚 A little bit about the books: 📚

'Arohanui: My Aotearoa New Zealand' is an inspiring and beautiful book that celebrates our country.

'Nowhere far from the sea' is a compilation of quotes about New Zealand by the intelligent and the well-known.

Selected by leading historian Dr Paul Moon, each of the 50 founding documents in 'Founding Documents of Aotearoa New Zealand' is provided with a description and historical context.

'Pūrākau: Legendary Māori Tales' was first published in 1946 as Myths and Legends of Maoriland. These stories help explain the traditional Māori perspective on the origins of many things – not just people – in the world around us. They help to explain the natural world and the relationships between the different elements within that world.

'New Zealand’s Native Mammals' describes the vast array of native mammals in NZ, and celebrates their extraordinary history and diversity; their influence on Māori culture; their ruthless exploitation by 19th century sealers and whalers; and their contemporary recovery.

09/12/2025

Our 2025 Christmas gift guide is here! 🎄🎁

Looking for the perfect book to gift? We have you covered!

Laugh out loud with 'How to Spot a Di****ad' and then turn the tables to be on the edge of your seat with 'The Slow Roll' and 'Human Error'. Dive into the writer's cut of 'Love & Money' and end on the knowledgeable new book from Martin Hawes 'Retirement Ready'.

📚 A little bit about the books: 📚

It is a national pastime to point out the di*****ds in our society, but how do you spot one? In many cases they are trying hard to hide their dickheadedness. Two acclaimed writers, Kathryn Burnett and Nick Ward have written the 'How to Spot a Di****ad' guide for us.

'The Slow Roll' is a brilliantly written and intriguing debut crime novel, set in Auckland. It features two lead characters with intelligence and empathy who just leave you wanting more to read.

'Human Error' is a fast-paced thriller with action that takes place in our own backyard, and where international aviation comes up against forces it doesn’t expect.

Film directors get to re-release with the changes they wish they had made. That is called The Director’s Cut. Now, Greg McGee has done the same to his 2012 novel. Welcome to 'Love & Money: The Writer’s Cut'.

From choosing who should manage your money to deciding on your investment approach, to determining how much you’ll need to sustain your lifestyle, 'Retirement Ready' tackles the critical questions that will shape your future.

08/12/2025

Our 2025 Christmas gift guide is here! 🎄🎁

Up next we have the perfect books to get you outside this summer.

Find new walks with 'A Walk A Day'. Visit new places off-the-beaten track with 'High Hopes and Big Dreams' and the newly revised editions 'Worth a Detour: North Island' and 'Worth a Detour: South Island'. Then find a good rest spot with 'New Zealand Pubs',

📚 A little bit about the books: 📚

There are over 100 new walks in this edition of 'A Walk A Day'. All of the walks are three hours or less and are great for those holidaying, short on time, who enjoy walking but do not want a long tramp with heavy boots and those who are walking with young families.

Across New Zealand, once flourishing towns have faded into the twilight. 'High Hopes and Big Dreams' explores theses treasure troves. It's both a guidebook and a nod towards Aotearoa’s tumultuous past.

In 'Worth A Detour: North Island', respected and award winning New Zealand travel writer Peter Janssen uncovers some of the North Island’s unknown treasures that most New Zealanders didn’t even know existed!

Unbeknownst to many New Zealanders, New Zealand is a land of quirky collectors, colourful characters and unusual ‘backyard’ projects. 'Worth A Detour: South Island' lets you in on all those unusual things to do and places to see that don’t appear in regular travel guides.

In this edition of 'New Zealand Pubs', Peter Janssen has added new pubs all around the country and removed listings for out-of-date pubs. It also includes helpful information on food, accommodation, and ambience as well as historic information and interesting stories.

Peter Janssen's New Zealand

08/12/2025

🎉 Congratulations Donovan! 🎉

Donovan's been named the second largest selling Kiwi author in 2025 in the New Zealand Listener with over 11,000 sales across 56 titles. This is a massive achievement and we are so very proud to have you in our Upstart family.

Your stories and illustrations bring so much joy to the tamariki of Aotearoa.

We can't wait for 2026

Donovan Bixley Author/Illustrator

07/12/2025

Our 2025 Christmas gift guide is here! 🎄🎁

We are starting with our gorgeous and delicious cooking and gardening books.

Get your crop ready with 'Vege Patch From Scratch' and 'Companion Planting' and cook the fruits of your labour with 'Simply Veg', Abundance' and 'Made With Love'.

📚 A little bit about the books: 📚

'Vege Patch from Scratch' will teach you the fundamentals of growing pretty much everything, plus show you how to grow fresh food at home.

'Companion Planting in New Zealand' is the ideal guide to working with nature to produce cabbages that ‘squeak with health’ and beans that ‘snap like a gunshot’.

'Abundance' offers over 100 plant-based recipes that are filling, healthy and packed with flavour.

'Simply Veg' is for people who love food, love to cook, love people and planet, and want to include a wider range of plant-based meals in their everyday life. Quite Good Food

'Made With Love' includes fifty unique recipes are accompanied by Ndoyiya’s personal recollections and anecdotes of the time she spent with Madiba, his family, friends and colleagues.

21/11/2025

🚨 Get your orders in ASAP 🚨

As courier deliveries are particularly busy during the holiday season, any orders received after Wednesday 17 December may not arrive in time for Christmas!

But, we will be shipping orders up until Tuesday 23 December.

Also, our office and warehouse will be taking a well deserved break over the holidays so we will be closing on Tuesday 23 December and reopening on Monday 5 January 2026!

12/11/2025

Out now – just in time for summer!

These fully revised and updated versions of Peter Janssen’s hugely popular 'Worth a Detour' series have added new attractions all around the country and deleted attractions that have closed.

All the information has been updated!

'Worth a Detour: North Island' & 'Worth a Detour: South Island' are available in store and online now 📚

Peter Janssen's New Zealand

12/11/2025

Our November newsletter will be arriving in your inbox really soon! ⌛✉️

PLUS we are sending out a special surprise for our newsletter community – check the bottom of your November newsletter when you get it 👀

Don't miss out – sign up to our list here: https://mailchi.mp/upsta.../upstart-press-newsletter-sign-up

Be the first to know:
📚 Upcoming books
📚 New releases
📚 Events
📚 Media & News...
..and more, straight to your inbox every month!

12/11/2025

We are loving this shirt Donovan Bixley Author/Illustrator!

It would make the perfect gift for Christmas

07/11/2025

The Whitireia Publishing Course is New Zealand’s only full-time, industry-led qualification in Publishing!

Here at Upstart Press, we've benefited greatly from this course. We've hosted interns (each student gets two placements) and we've hired and worked with graduates.

Running for over 30 years, this course has produced graduates who work across trade, educational, legal, and government publishing, as well as communications and media.

The Publishers Association of New Zealand / Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ) has formed a partnership with Whitireia/WelTec to ensure the continuation of the Graduate Diploma in Publishing (Applied) and related Microcredentials for 2026, and to help prepare students for a rapidly evolving industry.

If you or anyone you know wants to begin their career in books – look no further! Enquire now for 2026 but places are capped at 20, in order to strengthen the experience of ākonga, so register your interest now! 📚

Whitireia Publishing

The link to learn more information is in the comments

24/10/2025

Find your long weekend vibe ✨

Whether you're sprucing up the garden for summer, experimenting in the kitchen, discovering more of our beautiful country, or simply relaxing at home – we’ve got the perfect book to match your plans.

Address

Auckland

Website

http://www.upstartpress.co.nz/, https://linktr.ee/upstartpress, https://mailchi.mp/upstartpress.co.nz/upstart-press-news

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Upstart Press posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company in Auckland?

All About Us

Upstart Press publishes a wide variety of New Zealand books, including fiction, non-fiction, and children’s titles. Each year we produce around 20 new books and have been responsible for some of the biggest selling titles in the country – including ‘Dan Carter: My Story’ and ‘Richie McCaw 148’.

Our authors include many bright stars of New Zealand writing and illustrating, such as Paul Cleave, Joy Cowley, Donovan Bixley, Greg McGee, Paddy Richardson, Michael Cooper, Phil Gifford, and Ron Palenski to name a few.

Upstart Press

24/12/2025

14/12/2025

09/12/2025

08/12/2025

08/12/2025

07/12/2025

21/11/2025

12/11/2025

12/11/2025

12/11/2025

07/11/2025

24/10/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

All About Us