Te Herenga Waka University Press


Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. It publishes scholarly works, fiction and poetry. As of 2025, the press has published almost 1,000 books and has a core staff of five, plus editorial interns.
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History

Victoria University Press was founded in the early 1970s, with a single staff member. Fergus Barrowman became publisher in 1985 and remains in charge of the press. The press has grown significantly under Barrowman's leadership, expanding from publishing 15 titles annually in 2005 to an average of 32 books per year as of 2025. The press has developed a particular reputation for discovering new writers and publishing experimental and genre-bending work.
In 2019, Victoria University adopted the Māori name Te Herenga Waka, which previously just referred to the university marae. The press changed its name as of 1 January 2022 to Te Herenga Waka University Press. It adopted a new logo, designed by Philip Kelly and Rangi Kipa, which uses the initials THW to evoke a whare whakairo.

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. Works include the novel The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, Elizabeth Knox's The Absolute Book, poet Hera Lindsay Bird's debut Hera Lindsay Bird, and the works of poet Tayi Tibble. It has a backlist of over 400 books in print, and issues 32 new titles a year on average.
Books on Māori topics include collections of writings in Māori by Hirini Moko Mead and Āpirana Ngata, as well as Joan Metge's books on contemporary Māori society and cross-cultural communication.

Relationship with the university

The press receives funding from Victoria University. Barrowman has noted that this is crucial for the press and enables it to "take commercial risks, like first books and short stories".

Notable authors

Poets published by THWUP include:
Fiction writers published by THWUP include:
Non-fiction writers published by THWUP include:

Book series

Book series published by the press have included:

Awards

Books published by THWUP have won Ockham New Zealand Book Awards such as: