A book of New Zealand inventions · Penguin 2014
Kiwi ingenuity, re-wired for the world.
If necessity is the mother of invention, then Kiwi ingenuity is certainly the father. No.8 Re-Wired by David Downs and Jon Bridges celebrates 202 New Zealand inventions and the people behind them — from the discovery of DNA and the splitting of the atom to the Pavlova, the jetboat and the jetpack.
documented
bestseller, 2014
No.8 Re-Wired · Penguin Books NZ · October 2014
The book & the website
The most complete — and most entertaining — book ever written on Kiwi ingenuity.
This is the home of the book of the same name. No.8 Re-Wired celebrates the inventions and ingenuity of New Zealanders — taking Kiwi ideas to global success.
There are well over 200 inventions and innovations of note from New Zealand, and over time this website features them all. From modern marvels like the Martin Jetpack to some of the earliest innovations in our history, No.8 Re-Wired celebrates New Zealand’s outsized impact on the world.
It’s a celebration of the No.8 wire spirit that made New Zealand what it is today — and a look at how that same spirit can power the country into the future.
Invention of the day
Where it began: the Pavlova
One of New Zealand’s most beloved — and most fiercely contested — contributions to the world.
Food & Household
Pavlova
Mrs McRae
New Zealand and Australia share a friendly rivalry over many things; rugby, cricket, CER, GST . . . but there’s one major thing that we compete over that is no joke. This is deadly serious. Come the year 2101, when the War of the Tasman is over and the nuclear cloud over Australasia has dissipated,…
Read the full storyStart exploring
From the deck of a rocket to the bottom of a gorge
A few of the stories waiting for you in the catalogue — then dive into all 140.
As seen & heard
A national bestseller, on the shelf and on the air
Bestseller
Reached #3 on New Zealand’s Indie Top 20 and the Nielsen Top 10 NZ bestsellers list within weeks of release in October 2014.
On the air
Featured on Radio NZ, Newstalk ZB, Radio Live, Coast FM and TV One’s Good Morning, and reviewed by Idealog, NBR, Stuff and the Sunday Star-Times.
TEDx & talks
Authors David Downs and Jon Bridges took the No.8 Re-Wired story to the TEDx Auckland stage and to audiences across the country.
Get the book
Bring 200 years of Kiwi ingenuity home
Published by Penguin in October 2014, No.8 Re-Wired is packed with stories and a strong visual layout — perfect for Dad, with stories to impress your aunty and entertain the whole family. The book also features augmented-reality content that brings selected inventions to life. Available in good bookshops nationwide.
Ask the authors where to buy