What you missed in 2024
From Gramsci and Fly My Pretties, to the musical supervision for World of Wearable Arts and the Shakespeare Pop-up Globe, multi-talented musician Paul McLaney now adds published author to his resume.
Delivered with Paul’s trademark talent and class, Bookshop Prayers is an exquisitely produced collection of verse for all ages, featuring rhymes of cheer and good intent for everyday use.
Join us for a glass of wine and an afternoon of rhyme and song as Paul performs verse from Bookshop Prayers and songs from his back catalogue.
Part of NZ Bookshop Day celebrations and the Wairarapa Bookshop Hop.
Venue: Hedley’s Books, Masterton
Time: 4–6pm
Date: Saturday 12th October
Price: $10
Buy tickets online via Eventfinda >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
The festival’s Gala Night Event is sure to be funny, brutally honest and packed with incredible yarns from a man who has had a huge and varied career in the media. Journalist Paddy Gower has spent decades telling our stories. Now he’s telling his.
From his teenage and university years where he learnt to defend himself from cruel bullying about his looks, to the pressure-cooker years he spent in the Press Gallery holding politicians to account, to advocating for the families of the Christchurch terrorist attacks and for sufferers of cystic fibrosis, he has scrapped and fought for the truth and justice for others. This is the F#$%ing News is Paddy Gower, unleashed.
In conversation with Noelle McCarthy: writer, broadcaster and author of the bestselling memoir, Grand.
Venue: Copthorne Solway, Masterton
Time: 7–9pm
Date: Thursday 17th October
Price: $25
Buy tickets online via Eventfinda >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Leveraging her two decades of legal expertise in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Roimata Smail presents the facts and distils the essentials of Te Tiriti in an easy-to-digest way.
Accompanied by her handbook, Understanding Te Tiriti, this session will give you a foundational understanding of Te Tiriti to use in your work or everyday life.
Venue: Masterton District Library, 54 Queen St, Masterton
Time: 12–1pm
Date: Friday 18th October
Price: Free – please register to attend
Or register in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Clip together your waist strap and tighten your boots for an adventure with tramper, TikTok star and author of Wild Walks, Hannah-Rose Watt.
Full of inspirational stories and practical tips, this event is for anyone interested in exploring Aotearoa’s wilderness — from absolute beginners looking to dip their toes into the world of tramping, to families, to seasoned adventurers seeking inspiration for technical backcountry journeys.
Hannah is passionate about encouraging young people into the outdoors. As the social media manager for Macpac and with thousands of her own followers on TikTok, she is shaping an inspirational career. A great event to drag your teens along to.
Venue: Strang’s Woolshed, 1683a Longbush Rd, Gladstone
(Use the Google Maps link above or 4km on the right south of the Gladstone intersection on the road to Longbush)
Time: 12–1pm
Date: Saturday 19th October
Price: Adults $12 / Full Day Pass $25 / Under 18s Free
Gracias Coffee Cart and Refreshments available or BYO picnic
Buy tickets online via Eventfinda >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
With cracking yarns, hilarious tales and antics to rival Barry Crump, Sam Gibson is a modern outdoorsman who is passionate about protecting our unique habitats, and has an incredible life story to tell.
Known as Sam the Trap Man on social media, he is a bushman through and through: hunting, fishing, trapping and adventuring – he does it all. As an unruly teenager starting to get into mischief, Sam’s parents and teachers struck an unusual deal, letting him take time out of school to spend it in the outdoors, a path which would first steer him away from trouble and eventually come to define his life. He’ll share some of this story as told in his new book, Sam the Trap Man: Cracking Yarns and Tall Tales from the Bush.
Another great event for the young people in your life.
Venue: Strang’s Woolshed, 1683a Longbush Rd, Gladstone
(Use the Google Maps link above or 4km on the right south of the Gladstone intersection on the road to Longbush)
Time: 2–3pm
Date: Saturday 19th October
Price: Adults $12 / Full Day Pass $25 / Under 18s Free
Gracias Coffee Cart and refreshments available or BYO picnic
Buy tickets online via Eventfinda >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
In 2011, following the Taliban siege on Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel, an SAS soldier identified only as Serviceman J was awarded NZ’s second highest military honour by showing outstanding gallantry in the face of danger. After eighteen years in the New Zealand SAS, ex-commander Jamie Pennell is now ready to tell his story.
Having survived the famously tough SAS selection course and excelled during its brutal training, Jamie was sent on four deployments to Afghanistan and played a critical role in New Zealand’s operations. From patrols across desert territories run by warlords to hostile fire and near-death combat, Serviceman J is a heart-stopping account of life inside one of the world’s most elite military forces.
Jamie Pennell now runs Dilworth School’s outdoor education programme.
Venue: Strang’s Woolshed, 1683a Longbush Rd, Gladstone
(Use the Google Maps link above or 4km on the right south of the Gladstone intersection on the road to Longbush)
Time: 4–5pm
Date: Saturday 19th October
Price: Adults $12 / Full Day Pass $25 / Under 18s Free
Gracias Coffee Cart and refreshments available or BYO picnic
Buy tickets online via Eventfinda >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Join us for an afternoon of Poems in the Barn!
First up Harry Ricketts, one of NZ’s most celebrated poets and scholars, shares poems and musings from his memoir First Things and explores the influence poetry has had on his life.
As the judge of the inaugural Jan Gerritsen Poetry Competition, Harry will also announce the competition winners in each age category – teens and adults – who will be invited to share their winning poems.
This will kick off an Open Mic Poetry session, MC’d by Arrow FM’s Michael Wilson.
Everyone is welcome to share a favourite poem, or something they’ve written. You can register for the Open Mic session when you RSVP on Eventfinda or in person at Hedley’s Books.
Venue: Strang’s Woolshed, 1683a Longbush Rd, Gladstone
(Use the Google Maps link above or 4km on the right south of the Gladstone intersection on the road to Longbush)
Time: 1–3pm
Date: Sunday 20th October
Price: Free – please register to attend
Gracias Coffee Cart and refreshments available or BYO picnic
Register online via Eventfinda >
Or register in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Pippa Latour was one of the last female special operations agents in France to get out alive after its liberation in WWII. Born in 1921, she became a covert special operations agent who parachuted into a field in Nazi-occupied Normandy.
Demonstrating incredible bravery – Pippa could be instantly shot if her cover was blown – she sent 135 secret messages conveying crucial information about German Troops in the lead-up to D-Day, posing as a soap seller to get information and concealing codes in her shoelaces and hair ties. Pippa continued her mission until France’s liberation in 1944 but until now, no one, not even her children, knew her remarkable story. Before Pippa’s death last year at 102, TV personality Jude Dobson documented her full story, now told in the book, Last Secret Agent.
Venue: Strang’s Woolshed, 1683a Longbush Rd, Gladstone
(Use the Google Maps link above or 4km on the right south of the Gladstone intersection on the road to Longbush)
Time: 4–5pm
Date: Sunday 20th October
Price: Adults $12 / Under 18s Free
Buy tickets online via Eventfinda >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Join us for an afternoon of tall tales and hilarious gags with children’s authors: James Russell the Dragon Master and comedian, Sam Smith.
Designed to inadvertently inspire even the most reluctant readers to pick up a book. James and Sam will entertain and give the kids a jump start into these popular series.
3.30pm – James Russell takes us on a spellbinding adventure with Flynn and Paddy as they hunt down dragons, from his Dragon Defenders series. Then he’ll travel back in time to NZ’s Gold Rush with Michael and Atarangi from Children of the Rush.
4.30pm – comedian Sam Smith invites you to join Amelia Miles & Shackleton Jones as they struggle to break the evil curse placed on their local park by an ultra villain (it’s like a supervillain but WAY more villainy) in The Anaconda Attack – the first graphic novel in the Miles and Jones Adventure series.
Ideal for ages 7–10 but inclusive for all. We want every Wairarapa kid to experience the joy of reading for fun, so come along and immerse your kids in the magic of books at this free event.
Venue: Masterton District Library
Time: 3.30pm–5.30pm
Date: Tuesday 22nd October
Price: Free – includes afternoon tea for the kids and giveaways!
Register online via Eventfinda >
Or register in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Cristina will talk about New Zealand historical fiction and her new book Ōkiwi Brown. She is the author of three previous historical novels, Jerningham set in colonial Wellington, Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant and Displaced, set in Norsewood. Ōkiwi Brown was a real person who operated a hostelry at Rona Bay in Eastbourne which was a stopover on the way to Wairarapa.
Cristina’s novel draws the real Ōkiwi Brown into the mystery of the missing Hare of the Burke and Hare Edinburgh body snatchers and dark deeds in early colonial Wellington.
In cooperation with Wairarapa Word.
Venue: Carterton Courthouse, Holloway St, Carterton
Time: 7.30–9pm
Price: Koha to Wairarapa Word (please register to attend)
Or register in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just curious about the financial landscape, join us for an exciting opportunity to meet with financial journalist and NZ Herald Business editor, Liam Dann.
Liam brings unique insights into the world of finance and business journalism with his compelling stories and perspectives on the latest economic trends and market dynamics.
He has fielded as many money-related questions as he has enjoyed beers around the BBQ — and often at the same time. From interest rates to the price of cheese and everything in between, Liam explores the most commonly asked questions about the New Zealand economy, how it works and why it matters, as told in his new book, BBQ Economics.
In conversation with Carissa Fairbrother and proudly sponsored by RIVAL Wealth.
Venue: Carterton Events Centre
Time: 12–1pm
Price: $10 – includes food and refreshments
Book tickets online via Carterton Events Centre >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Joy Cowley once said, “Whoever said you only live once, wasn’t a reader”. So grab your girlfriends, pack your bags and join Nicky Pellegrino on a lunchtime escape to the rolling, sun-drenched hills of Italy.
Smell the fresh pasta, sip your limoncello and stumble down cobbled streets with us as we explore the benefits and divine escapism, of reading fiction with one of Aotearoa’s most loved and inspirational romance writers. Celebrating her new book, Marry Me in Italy. Fun and frivolity guaranteed.
A special edition of Hedley’s Book Club, hosted by Read by Reid
Venue: Hedley’s Books, Masterton
Time: 12–1pm
Price: $8
Buy tickets online via Eventfinda >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Diane and Ian Grant and several of their authors discuss their books and how and why they were written.
While book publishing has changed hugely in New Zealand over the last four decades, Fraser Books has published about 40 books of Wairarapa history and more than 150 others in many genres with authors around the motu.
Featuring authors Gareth Winter, Neil Frances, Helene Ritchie, Gaye Sutton, Helen Thomas, Val Millington and Peter Watson.
Venue: Masterton District Library
Time: 7pm
Price: Free
Or register in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Louise and Gareth Ward met at police school and now own the beloved Havelock North bookshop, Wardini Books.
A delightful mix of The Diary of a Bookseller, The Thursday Murder Club and The Bookseller at the End of the World, their charming, cosy crime novel Bookshop Detectives follows two small-town booksellers (and their cowardly dog) as they solve a decades-old murder mystery.
Louise Ward, in conversation with Featherston Booktown’s Mary Biggs, tells us about the new book, their colourful lives, past and present, and the quirky side of bookselling.
In association with Featherston Booktown
Venue: Joy Cowley Room, The Royal Hotel, Featherston
Time: 11am–12pm
Price: $20 includes a welcome drink
Buy tickets online via Eventfinda >
Or purchase tickets in-store at
Hedley’s Books, 150 Queen St, Masterton
Follow this event with a Murder Mystery-themed lunch at The Royal Hotel for the special price of $45. Book your table directly with The Royal, here.