New Zealand's inventions, retold.
Bungy jumping. The pavlova. Jetpacks and rocket launches. The bestselling book of Kiwi ingenuity — now an online treasury of 140+ inventions and the people who made them.
If necessity is the mother of invention, Kiwi ingenuity is the father.
No.8 Re-Wired celebrates the inventions and ingenuity of New Zealanders — from human flight, the splitting of the atom and the creation of the pavlova, to the lesser-known (instant coffee, the referee's whistle) and the newest high-tech world-leaders.
It's the most complete and entertaining book ever on Kiwi ingenuity — a celebration of the No.8 wire spirit that made New Zealand what it is, and a look at how invention can power us into the future.
Six that changed the game
A handful of the inventions that took the No.8 wire spirit global. Each one has its own full story.
Martin Jetpack
The history of jetpacks is long and there have been hundreds of prototypes made all over the world. The most famous is…
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Pavlova
New Zealand and Australia share a friendly rivalry over many things; rugby, cricket, CER, GST . . . but there’s one…
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Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab are based in Auckland. CEO Peter Beck is an engineer with no university degree who's learned rocket science…
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Disposable Syringe
Murdoch studied pharmacology, married and in 1954 moved to Timaru to set up a pharmacy. Small town life meant that his…
Read the storyBungy Jumping
The idea of jumping off things is not a new one, nor is the idea of stopping oneself before one gets hurt. Again, like…
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Manuka Honey
Professor Peter Molan has taken his discovery of the unusual antibacterial activity of Mānuka honey through to the…
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The book comes alive.
No.8 Re-Wired features augmented-reality content — point a companion app at the pages to watch selected inventions leap off the paper. A small piece of Kiwi ingenuity, built into a book about Kiwi ingenuity.
Two storytellers, one obsession with Kiwi ideas.
David Downs and Jon Bridges spent years tracking down the inventions, the inventors and the stories behind them — then told them with the wit and warmth of two people who genuinely love this stuff.
202 inventions. One unforgettable read.
Perfect for Dad, with stories to impress your aunty and entertain the whole family. Available in bookshops nationwide and online.