In South Auckland, New Zealand, Mannie and his wife, Jo, have finally achieved stability. Mannies successful job as a carpenter gives the couple hopes for a future home and children. But its all about to come tumbling down. When Wall Street crashes in 2005, the New Zealand economy plunges into a recession. Mannie loses his job and is forced to apply for the unemployment benefit to survive. Worse, he and Jo must take in boarders in order to make the rent. But Mannie soon sees his misfortune as an opportunity to reclaim land in the Tongariro National Park that belonged to his Maori tribe more than one hundred and thirty years ago. Mannie persuades a small, disillusioned group of young Maori into claiming sovereignty over a small block of land on the side of a mountain, offering freedom and peace in protest against the government. They build huts and live off the land. Mannie and Jo try to find their former happiness, but then tragedy strikes, and Mannie suddenly finds himself in a deadly game of survival.

Vols. for 1892-1941 contain the transactions and proceedings of the society.

"Drawing upon the work of archaeologists and historians, quoting extensively from the myths and songs recorded by Maori writers of the last century, Margaret Orbell vividly evokes the Maori experience of Aotearoa, while Geoff Moon's remarkable photographs present the country's landscape, birds, fish, insects, reptiles and plants"--Taken from dust jacket,

Land Very Fertile is a collection of poetry and prose about Banks Peninsula on the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. Drawing from a wide variety of sources, including such New Zealand greats as Ursula Bethell, Denis Glover, James K. Baxter, Ngaio Marsh, Allen Curnow and Maurice Shadbolt, along with many newer voices such as Joe Bennett, Fiona Farrell, Bernadette Hall and James Norcliffe, as well as exciting lesser-known talents, this collection is a landscape of literature, seeking to capture the spirit of a much-loved area. Martin London's highly evocative photographs speak eloquently of this lovely place.