Come feast on our vegetarian history!
From: Rebel Press
Date: 22 August 2014
The first comprehensive history of vegetarianism in Aotearoa New Zealand will be launched by Rebel Press next weekend. The Compassionate Contrarians, by local writer Catherine Amey, describes how animal-free diets evolved in New Zealand from Victorian vegetarians
through to modern animal rights campaigners. The publisher is celebrating by inviting book-lovers to sample some sweet
or savoury treats from Aotearoa's vegetarian history at the book launch on Saturday 30 August, 3 p.m. at St John's
Church Hall.
According to author Catherine Amey, "Today vegetarianism is fairly common and almost trendy. How did this happen in a
nation that is focused on meat and dairy? Although New Zealand's economy has long depended on the meat and more recently
the dairy industries, this country also has a little known history of vegetarianism, dating back to early Māori
communities."
In the course of her research Catherine came across a wide range of unusual and interesting people. "In the nineteenth
century, British colonists explored meatless diets. Early vegetarians dreamed of international disarmament, equal rights
for women, prison reform, the dismantlement of the British Empire, anarchism, socialism and a ban on alcohol. Among them
were animal rights activists, Seventh Day Adventists, theosophists, pacifists, conscientious objectors, feminists,
socialists, anarchists, free-thinkers and spiritualists."
The book reveals the vegetarian lives of some well-known New Zealanders - such as the suffrage and temperance campaigner
Kate Sheppard, the judge and politician Sir Robert Stout, the artist Rita Angus, and Maui Pomare, the first Māori
doctor.
It also shows how vegetarianism became part of life in this country. In the early twentieth century Adventists started
up vegetarian cafes, published cookbooks, and set up Sanitarium. Weetbix and Marmite, once 'faddish' health foods,
became iconic New Zealand products. Over the years, New Zealand attitudes towards animals and food have shifted. New
Zealand cuisine is no longer just about roasts, sweet cakes and stodgy puddings, and there is increasing awareness of
the environmental impacts of consuming meat and dairy.
The Compassionate Contrarians uncovers the quirks of the vegetarian experience in a land of meat and dairy. More importantly, it acknowledges the
hard work and courage of a group of idealists who dedicated their lives to creating a more just world for all sentient
beings. It is available at selected bookshops, and through the Rebel Press website www.rebelpress.org.nz
ENDS