NZ Humour

For the past 17 years Garrick Tremain has produced a daily political cartoon. As a child he was nurtured on nursery rhymes, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. The eventual revelation that he had swallowed fantasy as fact left him with a conviction that you can believe no-one, and a desire to write these nursery rhymes for grown ups, containing too many truisms for hs mother ever to have read to him.

Previously publshed exclusively for Whitcoulls. Kiwiana is a name that identifies quirky objects and images that have endured changing fads and trends to become our icons, stored in the memories of generations of New Zealanders and recalled with amusement and affection. This book from the authors of the very first Kiwiana Book, New Zealand, New Zealand, is a unique collection of images, distilled from thousands of possibilities, which draws together some of the more colourful threads of our national character. From Number 8 wire to... read more

A beautifully produced collector's edition featuring all of Murray Ball's 'Weekender' cartoons. These were cartoons that were run in the weekend newspapers. Many have never before been published in book form, and many never seen in New Zealand. (They were run in Saturday and Sunday newspapers in Australia, but only on Saturdays here.) A unique feature of the Weekenders is the Footrot Flats 'photographs', where Murray has drawn our favourite characters onto colour photographic backgrounds. These colour photographs appear throughout.... read more

A humorous study of all the words and phrases that are uniquely New Zealand's own. First published 1992; this edition 2008.

Footrot Flats is back! This 136-page treasury includes the very best of that hugely successful Kiwi icon - the Footrot Flats cartoon series. Selected by author and illustrator Murray Ball, these cartoon take us back to the classic Footrot Flats, introducing all of the lovable characters such as The Dog, Wal, Cooch, Horse, Major...Their adventures will continue to delight old fans and new alike.

Footrot Flats is back! This 160-page treasury is all about sports but includes far more than the classic rugby and cricket cartoons - The Dog takes to the netball court, Wal tries his hand at waterskiing, and much more. Selected by author and illustrator Murray Ball, these cartoons are sure to delight old fans and new alike. Includes 32 colour cartoon pages.

Have you ever wondered how the town you live in got its name? Why Bulls and not 'Sheep' or 'Dogs'? Is Raglan named after a style of sleeve? Why name a river after dog dung?Most New Zealanders have no idea where the name of the town they live in came from. This book tells the tales behind some of the most intriguing place names in this country. Written in an accessible and interesting style, this stylish little book is entertaining as well as educational, and provides glimpses into the history of New Zealand through the eyes of thos... read more

Were an alien to descend on suburban or rural New Zealand, it would no doubt be amused, baffled and charmed by the idiosyncratic letter boxes that line up outside each house, many of them fabricated from playful materials and tweaked or painted to resemble anything from a cheeseburger to a cuckoo clock, or converted from milk churns, motorbike fuel tanks or microwave ovens. This little gift book celebrates the humble Kiwi letter box in all its glory. Over 50 full-colour images of unusual and amusing letter boxes are accompanied b... read more

A beautifully produced collector's edition incorporating the very best of the hugely successful Kiwi icon - Footrot Flats. More than 500 pages, which will carry almost 1500 cartoon strips. Selected and introduced by author and illustrator Murray Ball. For the first time in print, Murray shares the inspiration and background of the characters, landscapes and activities that make up Footrot Flats. Murray's commentary includes information on long puzzled-over Footrot Flats features such as why the Dog is not named, why the farm is cal... read more

This is Justin Brown's search to find 'the real New Zealand' - the place where number 8 fencing wire fixes everything and sheep run amok. This collection of essays puts some of our most popular myths through a 21st-century reality check with more than a dash of humour. When Justin Brown turned 36 , he stumbled on the fact he had become the average age of a New Zealander. With a wife, two children and a temperamental car, he suddenly became aware he'd become 'average' in other ways too. And of all the things he had aspired to, being... read more

As the title suggests, New Zealand 50, Australia 0 proudly claims it is the most biased sports book published in this country. It celebrates fifty of the best shellackings served to the Aussies by New Zealand’s finest sporting teams, including the All Blacks, Black Caps, Silver Ferns, Tall Blacks, All Whites and a few surprise inclusions.

This book collects the best of the 'strange but true' auctions with edited Q and As plus the backstories - what happened to each object after it was auctioned.

It's a real Kiwi summer when ...you want to cheer yourself up on a wet day at the bach! It's a real Kiwi summer when ...You. Are. Sick. Of. Ham! Chocka full of choice one-liners that make us who (and what) we are, this neatly-packaged hardback finds more than 100 ways to remind you what's great about a New Zealand summer in a way that makes you smile. The book also contains a flick back cartoon that sees our 'real Kiwi' fly from the BBQ to the surf.

A whole new round of the much-loved Tui Yeah Right billboards together with the complete collection from the first two editions of Yeah Right. A total of 360 pages of billboards, covering more than a decade of hilarious, irreverent signage from the length and breadth of New Zealand.

From the weird and wonderful world of New Zealand sport, a humourous take on what the athletes and the fans were really thinking and doing. What Were They Thinking 2007 presents a selection of New Zealand sports photographs from this sporting year accompanied by humorous speech bubbles. It's a brilliant take on the highs and lows across our various sporting codes.

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A collection of simple fingerprint cartoons with short, sharp captions that will have you in stitches! Crushed to discover at the tender age of seven that he didn't have an aptitude for drawing, Peter Vegas decided to pour his heart and soul into perfecting the art of the humble stick figure. The result was an original, quirky and extremely funny stick-figure cartoon collection that went on to become three bestselling books. Now bored with the stick figure, Peter has moved on to a slightly healthier body shape: the fingerprint-man ... read more

Story of the life and work of Jesus, taken mainly from the Gospels of Mark, and retold in twenty-first century Kiwi vernacular.Its been called the greatest story ever told - or in Kiwi, a seriously good yarn. That bloke Jesus turned out to be a pretty interesting character with plenty to say that's still relevant today. But pick up your average Bible and its language is light-years away from the stuff we speak in Godzone. Here for the first time, the Bible (well, bits of it) makes its appearance in Kiwi - the stories are the same, ... read more

You know all those Joe Bennett newspaper columns you loved this year and wish you’d keptT The ones that made you laugh out loud over your breakfastT The ones in which he said just what you’d been thinking – only so much bettero The ones that inveighed against jet-skis, praised coffee, took a swipe at Paul Holmes, loved dogs, defended the English language . . . Here they are – plus the ones he writes for other papers that you never get to see – in his seventh collection. Buy i... read more

Most politicians lose their sense of humour when they are elected, and take themselves far too seriously. Veteran journalist David Barber, who has watched them perform in more than 50 countries, and brilliant cartoonist Bob Brockie, who has been sending them up for nearly 30 years in the NBR, combine here to present this irreverent look at political life.