THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

Suzanne Lynch’s memoir, Yesterday When I Was Young, is a heartfelt and nostalgic journey through one of New Zealand’s most enduring musical careers. Co-written with broadcaster and writer Karyn Hay, the book is more than a personal reflection—it’s a cultural time capsule that captures the evolution of Kiwi pop music from the 60's to today. Her memories and reflections are particularly poignant, as she pulls back the thin curtain that shrouded our early youth industry.  Ina time when we had only one channel, when pop programmes were considered to be risque and the very notion of pop idols was a new and a  bizarre development, Suzanne Lynch was an enigma.  Albeit a self-described product of the time. Unpublished  photographs of her in early pop early shows taken by participant, himself show cool kids like Ray Columbus and Lew Prime on set.  It's not the high glamour of modern day Hollywood.  But it was our little slice of manufactured fame.  Lynch began ...

Gareth Shute’s Songs From The Shaky Isles: A Short History of Popular Music in New Zealand is a brisk, kaleidoscopic journey through nearly a century of Aotearoa’s musical evolution. With a subtitle that promises brevity, Shute delivers a compact yet vibrant account that balances historical sweep with personal insight, all in just 200 pages. Gareth Shute may fly under the radar, but his influence on New Zealand’s music scene is undeniable. As a musician, he’s played with indie favourites like The Tokey Tones, The Ruby Suns, The Brunettes, and currently performs with Fever Party and Thee Golden Geese. Offstage, Shute is a prolific writer, contributing to Audioculture and New Zealand Musician Magazine. Though he once claimed he was done after five books, he’s returned with Songs From The Shaky Isles—a fresh, insightful look at Aotearoa’s pop music history. Photo : Mieko Edwards Shute’s writing career began with the award-winning Hip-Hop Music in Aotearoa (2004), followed by titles like M...

The Randell Cottage Writers Trustees, in conjunction with the Embassy of France in New Zealand, are delighted to announce that our next French writer-in-residence will be Katia Astafieff.  Katia is a travel writer, novelist, and children’s author. She has a particular interest in botanical history and popularising scientific subjects. Her wide-ranging publications include the bestseller  How to travel alone when one is petite, blonde, and adventurous . For her special project during the residency, Katia plans to explore the story of Marianne North, an Englishwoman who travelled to Australia and New Zealand in 1880 on the advice of Charles Darwin, and painted remarkable illustrations of indigenous flora. Marianne is recognised for the scientific accuracy with which she documented plant life before photography was a practical option. Katia hopes to draw inspiration from Marianne’s life for a work supported by research and observations during her stay in New Zealand. Learn more h...

Applications are now open for one of New Zealand’s top writing residencies: the 2026 Randell Cottage Writers Fellowship. The fellowship comprises a generous stipend, currently set in the order of $32,000, and six months’ rent-free accommodation in one of Wellington’s oldest heritage homes. The residency will run from July to December 2026. “We’re incredibly proud to be offering New Zealand writers an extended period of time to devote to their work, a stipend, a comfortable home for six months, a peaceful garden, and proximity to Wellington’s research institutions – and to be able to welcome our residents’ families and partners as well,” Trust chair Christine Hurley says. The fellowship is open to mid-career New Zealand writers, meaning any writer with a growing body of published work.  The Trust is particularly interested in hearing from mid-career and Māori and Pasifika writers. Click here to learn more.