HARPER COLLINS NZ PUBLISHING

I was interested to observe recently that Harper Collins NZ were advertising for an associate publisher, a new role, which suggested to me that they are looking to expand their local publishing. This got me thinking back to my long-ago bookselling days when William Collins NZ ltd., as they were way back then, were a major force on the NZ book publishing scene.

I especially recall in 1975 a most beautiful, special book, Eagle's Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand in Colour. Two Hundred and Twenty-Eight Botanical Paintings by Audrey Eagle . (A second volume followed in 1983).
It was a stunning book and it cost what in those days was an unheard of price - $50. We launched the book in Napier where we had a display, on loan from the publishers some of Audrey’s exquisite original art. I remember Audrey arrived from the Waikato by bus. Beattie &Forbes Bookshop gained much kudos for launching such a prestigious title.

Years later (2007) of course it was republished as Eagle’s Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand, written and illustrated by Audrey Eagle and published by Te Papa Press when it cleaned up many book awards. As well
as all of the artwork from the previous two volumes, the new volumes contained over 170 new paintings and drawings by Eagle, and showcased every presently known tree and shrub in New Zealand.

The publisher at Wm.Collins back in the 1970's was Ted Forde and his assistant was Margaret Jones, both sadly no longer with us. David Bateman was the MD of Wm.Collins NZ at that time and I asked him what he remembered of Ted's publishing. here is his reply:

"Amongst Collins Bros. early NZ publishing was the Clear School Atlas on NZ, first published I believe before the First World War and Ted Forde was responsible for the updating of that and other school books in the 60/70s. He was a very skilful editor.
During my time he edited/published amongst others:
John A Lee’s Delinquent Days and Shiner Slattery; John Morton’s The New Zealand Sea Shore (which I think won the first Wattie award); Medical Odyssey, the autobiography of Sir Douglas Robb; Islands of the Gulf by Shirley Maddock based on her popular TV series of the same name screened in the early 60’s; Errol Brathwaite’s successful Maori War Trilogy, The Flying Fish, The Needles Eye, and the Evil Day; Decently and In Order, the centennial history of Auckland,1971; Rua and the Sea People a children’s book by R.L.Bacon illustrated by Para Matchitt; Rei Hamon Artist of the New Zealand Bush; and last but not least, Colin Meads All Black by Alex Veysey which as you will remember sold in astronomical numbers."

Thanks David, you certainly endorse my point about the significance of Collins as local publishers back then.

In 1978 David Elworthy was appointed Publisher and he held that job until 1984 when he and his wife Ros Henry set up Shoal Bay Press. I asked David what he recalled of his publishing during that time. Here is his response:

"I recall we sold 10,000 or so of the Mr Asia File. Then there were the Field Guides to NZ Birds and Fishes and other things, and TV tie-ins such as Hunter's Gold. There was C.K. Stead's All Visitors Ashore, which I still regard as one of the best NZ novels, and Greg Newbold's The Big Huey and Bob Jones's Letters, both of which were very successful commercially.
"But the book of which I was most proud was Peter Mahon's Verdict on Erebus, although it was not published until after I left Collins. Our lawyers did their very best to persuade us to emasculate the book, on the grounds that Morrie Davis and Air New Zealand would sue us for defamation, when commonsense dictated that the last thing they would want would be to publicise the whole messy business once more. So we ignored the legal advice and went ahead. But it was a bit nerve-wracking at the time!"

David was in turn followed by Ruth Hamilton, Elizabeth Caffin, Ian Watt and Lorain Day.

I contacted Elizabeth Caffin and some of the books she recalled were:

"Denis Maclean’s The Long Pathway, a good book about walking down the east coast of the North island.
CK Stead’s The Death of the Body – this was actually first published by Harvill in the UK but I remember getting Pat Hanly image for the cover.
A book by Neville Peat on an Afghani refugee family who settled in Auckland.
A picture book on sex education for kids by Jenny Hessell called What’s Wrong with Bottoms?
A handsome book of photographs edited by Brian Brake using international photos by Maxim photographers
A pocket guide to alpine plants."

Wm.Collins NZ/Harper Collins NZ has continued to publish NZ titles but it me it seems that somewhere along the way they scaled back their local publishing and for some years there has been  a much lower level of activity than the halcyon days of the '70's & 80's although there was a minor surge during the reign of Lorain Day.

Now with the recently appointed Alison Brook, (she moved over from Penguin Books NZ) plus the advertisement for a new associate publisher one senses that they may be going to reassert themselves as a major player in the field.
I hope so and I also ask myself whether the appointment last year of former  Random House NZ supremo Michael Moynahan as boss of Harper Collins in both Australia and New Zealand might have something to do with this expansive mood. After all he oversaw a spectacularly successful expansion of Random House NZ's local publishing which saw them push Penguin Books NZ off that top position.

Footnote:

David Bateman left Collins in 1978 and the following year set up David Bateman Ltd. which has since published 623 titles, 444 reprints and has printed over six million books. He is now living in retirement with his wife Janet on a rural property not far norht of Auckland. Members of his family continue to run the business which one suspects is the largest independent publisher in NZ.
When David Bateman left the company in 1978 the CEO's role was taken over by Brian Phillips. He in turn was followed by Terry Hughes, Robert Fisher, Barry Hitchon and then Tony Fisk who is the incumbent MD.Tony has been there since (I think) 2002.