The release of Anna Coddington’s fourth studio album 'Te Whakamiha' coincided with Aotearoa’s Matariki celebrations. It sports eight uplifting waiata sung in both English and Te Reo, tunes that Coddington describes as her own take on Māori funk.

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Storm Child by Michael Robotham

The mystery of Evie Cormac’s background has followed her into adulthood. As a child, she was discovered hiding in a secret room where a man had been tortured to death. Many of her captors and abusers escaped justice, unseen but not forgotten. Now, on a hot summer’s day, the past drags Evie back as she watches the bodies of seventeen migrants wash up on a Lincolnshire beach.

There is only one survivor, a teenage boy, who tells police their small boat was deliberately rammed and sunk. Psychologist Cyrus Haven is recruited by the police to investigate the murders—but recognizes immediately that Evie has some link to the tragedy. By solving this crime, he could finally unlock the secrets of her past. But what dark forces will he set loose? And who will pay the price?

Agent Zo by Clare Mulley

This is the incredible story of Elzbieta Zawacka, the WW2 female resistance fighter known as Agent Zo, told here for the very first time. Agent Zo was the only woman to reach London from Warsaw during the Second World War as an emissary of the Polish Home Army command, and then in Britain she became the only woman to join the Polish elite Special Forces, known as the 'Silent Unseen'. She was secretly trained in the British countryside, and then the only female member of these SOE affiliated forces to be parachuted back behind enemy lines to Nazi-occupied Poland. There, whilst being hunted by the Gestapo who arrested her entire family, she took a leading role in the Warsaw Uprising and the liberation of Poland.

After the war she was demobbed as one of the most highly decorated women in Polish history. Yet the Soviet-backed post-war Communist regime not only imprisoned her, but also ensured that her remarkable story remained hidden for over forty years. Now, through new archival research and exclusive interviews with people who knew and fought alongside Zo, Clare Mulley brings this forgotten heroine back to life, and also transforms how we see the history of women's agency in the Second World War.

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"The Sunshine Coast’s compact layout belies its bounty, richly necklaced with nature-based experiences in easy reach of each other. I hop-scotched about the place like a frisky roo, lapping up its elemental riches. The welcome mat is being thickly laid-out, with Air New Zealand direct services from Auckland to the Sunny Coast underway, and with Jetstar flying the route from later this year.

"You’ve got 100 kilometres of glittering beaches at your disposal- no matter what shade of sand takes your fancy; world-class wildlife experiences; plus an enchanting hive of hinterland gems, from fabulous forest walks to characterful villages. But don’t just throw your togs in the suitcase when heading to the Sunny Coast because there’s some seriously scenic mountain trails worth packing your hiking boots for, too."

Read Mike's full article here.

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