Mates and Lovers: A History of Gay New Zealand

by Chris Brickell

A landmark publication, this first-ever New Zealand gay male history combines lively and engaging scholarship with a remarkable collection of mages. Chris Brickell tells the evolving story of New Zealand’s gay men through the lives of Clerks, laborers, shop assistants, soldiers, actors, miners and writers of all classes, and he shows that our erotic past was vibrant, complex and often surprising.

Genres: History, Queer, LGBT, Nonfiction

430 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Henry Grey]

Really interesting book. My only problem with it is how Pākehā-centred it is - the book has very little to say on queer Māori history or takatāpui. Also, I know it's specifically a gay history, but it would've been interesting to read about lesbian and transgender experiences as well.

Definitely worth reading! We tend to think of queer history as monolithic and generally terrible prior to the 1970s, but this book very much challenges that assumption.

[Alison]

This is a gorgeous book, in every way. The writing is engaging and lively, the subject is fascinating, and the incredibly thorough research is so well presented. It's a big book printed on glossy paper and almost every page has a photo. This lavishly illustrated book is full of glorious historical photos and it's beautifully put together. I found this to be riveting and I really enjoyed reading it. Chris Brickell has gone on to write several other books about men, queer and otherwise, in New Zealand history (none of which are listed on GR) and I look forward to reading all of them. This is no dry, academic work--it's accessible, well-written, beautifully illustrated, and dead interesting. It's an impressive piece of social historical research and it's wonderful to read. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommended.

[Jon Anderson]

This book gave me life.

As a New Zealander (born in England, arrived in childhood), this book allowed me to feel a sense of place, after coming out later in life, that I never thought I would achieve. Much like marriage for same-sex attracted men and women before equality was achieved, it was simply not something my soul had envisioned for myself.

Not only do gay/bisexual men have a long-standing history in Aotearoa, but we also defined the New Zealand experience for many years until the wider society was ‘civilised’. Though this book focusses mostly on the Pākehā experience, it also acknowledges the commonality of same-sex love amongst tangata whenua, too, at the time of European arrival.

Turns out you can be a bushman and faggot; who knew? 😅

Recommended reading for all gay/bisexual men/adjacent people in New Zealand.

Would love to see a lesbian/bisexual women version, and one for gender diverse people, too.

[Craig]

What can I say......A FANTASTIC BOOK. Not only is this book so informative, it makes you feel proud that someone New Zealand took the time and effort to research all the way back to the 19th century, especially when you'd expect not much info out there. The images, the narratives, the drama is just wonderful. What a read !!!

[Oscar E]

At first I thought this was going to be a graphic history of the topic at hand, but it turned out to be quite an in-depth history study. Chris Brickell analisys on pictures, anecdotes and documents adds up on the portrayal of the very young, very varied and very small NZ gay society.