When Ann Mallinson and her late husband, David Rendel, decided to set up an independent publishing company, Mallinson Rendel Publishers, in 1980, they were told their business wouldn’t last six months.
At the time, the local industry was dominated by British publishers, and few believed a small, independent Wellington company could compete.But eighteen months later, Ann struck publishing gold when she was offered a manuscript by the children’s author, Lynley Dodd, about a dog called Hairy Maclary.
The book they published, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, was an immediate hit and went on to become one of the most successful children’s books ever published in New Zealand. More than forty years later, it remains as popular as it was when it was first published — in Canada, Australia and the UK as well as New Zealand.
“The book is a lot of fun, and it doesn’t age,” Ann says. “It has great rhythm and rhyme and wonderful illustrations and memorable characters, and parents enjoy it as much as their children.”
For 18 years, Mallinson Rendel Publishing operated from its offices at 7 Grass Street, before moving to Courtney Place. They published around 8 books a year, including all 20 books in the Hairy Maclary series, and other leading children’s authors, such as David Hill, Bob Kerr, Gregory O’Brien and Fleur Beale.
Ann was born in England and moved to New Zealand in her early twenties, to join her mother and family. She entered publishing in 1966 and worked for 13 years in Associated Book Publishers in New Zealand, becoming its Publishing Director in 1976.
Publishing was a very different industry then. “It was a male-dominated world. The men all lunched together, and women were largely excluded from decision-making.” Today, she is delighted to see women leading every part of New Zealand’s publishing industry.

— Bay View newsletter, October 2026