Browse some previous campaigns
Aotearoa New Zealand has a dark colonial past and the reckoning with its legacy has been a long time coming. We are not there yet, but the lid is slowly lifting on colonisation, the New Zealand Wars, and Pākehā privilege. Walking alongside author Richard Shaw as he owns his family history has been an honour. Neil Waka from Maori Television describes Shaw as a “special man.” His honesty and mahi are stand-out, and the media reception has been overwhelming warm. Shaw did a terrific interview with RNZ Nine to Noon; book extracts ran in the Sunday Star-Times and online at Stuff, and in the Guardian Australia. Another will run in The Conversation early next year. The reviews are starting to roll and Paul Diamond’s in The Listener couldn’t have been better.
Food champion and Ōmaha local Lauraine Jacobs shares secrets about the Matakana region only locals know about in her new book, It Takes a Village. As you might expect, it’s an expert guide about what’s on offer — from food and wine to art, outdoor activities, and the best places to stay. Despite Covid restrictions, which delayed the book’s release, Thornton Communications secured broad coverage in a range of media, including RNZ Nine to Noon, Sunday Star-Times, Stuff, Otago Daily Times, NZ Listener, Cuisine, Dish, Thrive Magazine, thisNZlife, Magic Talk Sunday Cafe, Good Magazine, Mahurangi Matters, Waiheke Weekender, Kete Books, NZ Booklovers.
Mana Whakatipu offers a Māori lens on business and investment, and Tā (Sir) Mark Wiremu Solomon is admired for his humility, work ethic, and determination to succeed. These qualities helped him to break down barriers and turned him into a formidable leader for his people. Sharing Tā Mark’s mahi when I promoted his memoir was a huge honour and Thornton Communications secured major media coverage, including TV ONE Q+A, Māori Television, Country TV, RNZ Nine to Noon, Sunday Star-Times, Stuff, NZ Listener, North & South, NBR, E-Tangata, Newsroom, The Spinoff, Kete Books, Plains FM, The Groove Book Report, Waiheke Weekender.
Sue Kedgley came to public attention in the early 1970s, as an early, outspoken women’s liberationist for feminism. Fifty Years A Feminist shares lessons drawn from her 50 years at the feminist coalface, not least that social change does not come easily, and that significant change can only happen through collective effort and large-scale social activism. Thornton Communications relished the opportunity of working with such a legendary leader and gained widespread media coverage, including TV ONE Breakfast, RNZ Sunday Morning, Weekend Herald Canvas, Your Weekend, Dominion Post, Otago Daily Times, NZ Listener, North & South, Woman Magazine, Thrive, Stuff, Newsroom.
In the spirit of Laurie Lee’s As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, Dougal Rillstone’s memoir is a lyrical mediation on landscape and moving water, with angling at its heart. I absolutely loved this book and Dougal was a delight to work alongside. Happily, Thornton Communications gained great media traction, including interview, feature, and extract coverage with RNZ Sunday Morning, Magic Talk, Radio Southland, Country TV, Stuff, The Spinoff, Otago Daily Times, The Southland Times, Wilderness magazine, Backcountry magazine, Fishing and Outdoors, Trout Fisher, New Zealand Fishing News, Wild Tomato magazine, GrownUps.
When the embargo on Margie Thomson’s book Whale Oil lifted on May 28, publisher Potton & Burton breathed a sigh of relief that the book wasn’t injuncted! Thornton Communications was relieved that there were no leaks or embargo breaches. Launched at AUT in front of a crowd of 150+, the mood was ebullient and celebratory. For Auckland businessman Matt Blomfield, the publication of his life story and seven-year battle to clear his name was both cathartic and exposing. Thornton Communications worked with Matt and Margie to create some powerful interview and feature opportunities, including TV ONE Breakfast, NZ Herald, Stuff website, RNZ News, RNZ Afternoons, RNZ Checkpoint, bFM’s The Wire, The Spinoff, Newsroom. Social media was also crucial to the campaign, with numerous tweets, blog, and Facebook posts.
Media Releases