The Chief and The Empire

The Chief and the Empire uncovers the extraordinary true tale of Te Tai Tokerau rangatira Te Pahi - the first influential Māori leader to cross the Tasman - whose curiosity about the Pākehā world forged alliances, saved lives, and ultimately cost him his own.

On a visit to Sydney in 1805 Te Pahi was feted as a celebrity. He built close ties with the Governor of NSW, Philip Gidley King, even staying as a guest in the Governor's house for several months. He also met the missionary, Samuel Marsden, both men recognising Te Pahi's remarkable character and mana.

Te Pahi examined the budding NSW colony and its brutal justice system with intelligence and compassion - and shocked King, by condemning the death sentences for a group of men accused of stealing food, ultimately sparing some of their lives.

But history did not reward his courage. On returning home, Te Pahi was wrongly blamed for a deadly attack on a British ship, the Boyd, and killed, his name darkened for generations.

Part history, part true-crime investigation, this is a riveting account of Te Pahi's remarkable journey and early Māori-Pākehā encounters, the injustice that destroyed a leader, and the unexpected legacy carried by the descendants of the men he fought to protect.

Mana by Tāme Iti

Ghost-written with Tāme Iti and Toi Kai Rākau Iti

Iconic Māori activist, artist, and performer Tāme Iti shares his extraordinary life, defined by resistance, resilience, and rangatiratanga.

Mana. It's a big word. But what is it? Are you born with it, can you earn it, can it be taken away?

For more than five decades, Tāme Iti has stood at the heart of Aotearoa's struggle for indigenous rights. From land marches to performance art, police raids to prison cells, his voice has challenged New Zealand to reckon with its colonial legacy. Once branded as a dangerous and extreme activist, now hailed as a national treasure, Tāme has lived the contradictions and realities of standing with mana motuhake in a modern world.

After being silenced from speaking te reo Māori as a child, Tāme went on to champion its revitalisation. He discovered the power of protest and what it means to live with mana in a world that often tries to strip it away.

This is his kōrero of the road he walked and the people who joined him. The comrades, the supporters, and the ones who tried to take him out.

Mana is the story of a man who has never stopped challenging the status quo. It cements Tāme's place as one of Aotearoa's most iconic figures.

The Unlikely Doctor

(Ghost-written with Timoti Te Moke)

The extraordinary story of Dr Timoti Te Moke who — having endured a horrific childhood of beatings and abuse, then gang life, stints in prison and an unsupported manslaughter charge — became a doctor at the age of 56 and is a staunch advocate for Māori​.

Born into love but then thrust into violence, and shaped by struggle, Timoti Te Moke was never destined to be a leader. After an early start as a bright boy in the eastern Bay of Plenty, nurtured by his reo Māori-speaking grandparents, Timoti's life changed sharply when his mother took custody of him when he was six. He survived abuse, state care, gangs and prison, his life marked by trauma and pain.

By fourteen, he was behind bars. By twenty, he'd crossed the Tasman, trying to leave his past behind. But it was a moment in a prison cell — a glimpse of blue sky — that sparked a life-altering question: What if this isn't all there is?

Through grit and an unyielding drive for justice, Timoti transformed his life. He returned to Aotearoa, became a paramedic and, after facing racism and an unsupported manslaughter charge that nearly derailed his life, became a medical student in his fifties. Timoti is now a fully qualified doctor — proof that brilliance can come from anywhere, and that our society must change to allow it.

A powerful, confronting memoir of injustice, identity and the cost of lost potential, The Unlikely Doctor is not just Timoti's story — it is every child's. Because when we remove the barriers for success, we don't just help individuals — we help reshape a nation.

This is the F#$%ing News

(Ghost-written with Patrick Gower)

Paddy Gower has spent decades telling our stories. Now, he's telling his.

Paddy Gower has never been afraid to stand up for what he believes in. 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 unrelenting drive has come at a cost: a serious alcohol addiction, anger issues at times, and bouts of anxiety and depression. Ironically, it was through his own work - a documentary about the outsized role that alcohol plays in many Kiwis' lives - that Paddy's wake-up moment came. It led him to quit the booze for good; a decision he has never regretted despite the knockbacks that kept coming, including the shock of the decision to close down the entire Newshub operation.

Funny, brutally honest and packed with incredible yarns from a huge and varied career, this is Paddy Gower, unleashed.