Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP (formerly Victoria University Press) is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. As of 2022, the press had published around 800 books.
History
Victoria University Press was founded in the early 1970s, with a single staff member. Fergus Barrowman joined it in 1985 as publisher and remains in charge of the press. By 2005 the staff had grown to four and the press was publishing on average 15 titles a year.[1] By 2011 this had grown to 25 titles annually, including six or seven poetry books.[2]
In 2019, Victoria University adopted the Māori name Te Herenga Waka ("the mooring place of canoes"), which previously just referred to the university marae.[3] To align with the university's name, the press changed its name as of 1 January 2022 to Te Herenga Waka University Press.[3] It adopted a new logo, designed by Philip Kelly and Rangi Kipa, which uses the initials THW to evoke a whare whakairo (carved meeting house).[3]
Publications
THWUP is a scholarly publisher specialising in New Zealand history and public affairs. It is also a significant publisher of New Zealand literary fiction and poetry. Its highlights include the novel The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (2013 Man Booker Prize winner), Elizabeth Knox'sThe Absolute Book, poet Hera Lindsay Bird's bestselling debut Hera Lindsay Bird, and the poet Tayi Tibble. It has a backlist of over 400 books in print, and issues 32 new titles a year on average.[2][1]
THWUP publishes vital work in New Zealand history. The history list, particularly social history, is viewed in broad, culturally diverse, and interdisciplinary terms, embracing studies of New Zealand's past and present and how these may shape the future.[1]
Books on Māori topics include important collections of writings in Māori by major figures such as Hirini Moko Mead and Āpirana Ngata, as well as Dame Joan Metge's widely read books on contemporary Māori society and cross-cultural communication.[1]
The press receives funding from Victoria University, which publisher Fergus Barrowman notes is extremely useful: "If we were independent with no funds at all it would be extremely hard. I don't know how some of New Zealand's independent publishers manage to do the books they do. University support is crucial for us. One of the great things is we can take commercial risks, like first books and short stories."[2]
Notable authors
THWUP has published works of many of New Zealand's strongest and most vibrant poets, including:
