One of New Zealand’s longest-established companies to celebrate 125-year anniversary

Media Release:

HarperCollins New Zealand, one of New Zealand’s most successful publishing houses, is to celebrate its 125-year anniversary this year.

Originally founded in 1819 by William Collins in Glasgow, a New Zealand office was incorporated in 1888, distributing religious and educational books.

As one of the longest-established publishing houses in New Zealand, HarperCollins has been at the forefront of the industry, establishing a local publishing list as early as the Second World War. 

Since then there have been more than 1,000 books published, amongst them some of the country’s most renowned titles.

“HarperCollins is one of New Zealand’s oldest companies and was a pioneer in the publishing industry then and remains to be so.  It is only right that on the occasion of our 125-year anniversary we celebrate the company’s numerous successes and significant contribution to publishing in New Zealand,” says Graham Mitchell, General Manager of HarperCollins New Zealand.

One of the more notable books published is The Mr Asia File by journalist Pat Booth, a ground-breaking exposé of a drug ring that spanned Australasia and Asia.

Published in 1980, the book and its contents remains firmly etched in the psyche of New Zealand and was recently the subject of the TV series Underbelly: The Mr Asia Story.

Other titles of note include Final Word, the bestselling memoirs of Sir Graham Henry, Verdict on Erebus by Peter Mahon, and a Maori-language version of Dr Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat.

HarperCollins has been based in Wairau Valley on the North Shore since 1977, when it moved to purpose-built premises that include a warehouse distribution centre.

The original offices for HarperCollins New Zealand were located on Commerce Street in central Auckland and leased for an annual rent of £300.

HarperCollins Publishers is one of the world's foremost English-language publishers, with an extensive publishing list including works from Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and CS Lewis.

Background information

With a heritage stretching back nearly 200 years, HarperCollins is one of the world's foremost English-language publishers, offering the best-quality content right across the spectrum, from cutting-edge contemporary fiction to fantastic children's books and pretty much everything in between, in both print and digital formats. In the UK, the Glasgow-based William Collins & Sons was founded in 1819 and published a range of bibles, atlases and dictionaries, later including classic authors HG Wells, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and CS Lewis.

The original Harper Brothers Company was established in New York City in 1817 and over the years published the works of Mark Twain, the Bronte Sisters, Thackeray, Dickens, John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. In New Zealand the company was established in 1888 as a division of William Collins in the UK and our strength in this market stems from a long involvement in local publishing, making us one of New Zealand's oldest and foremost publishers.

In 1987, Harper & Row, as it had then become, was acquired by News Corporation. The worldwide HarperCollins Group was formed in 1990, following News Corp's acquisition of William Collins & Sons. Today, HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand provides a full range of services to book retailers and publishes extensively in all major sections of the book market.