After three decades as one of New Zealand’s foremost independent publishers, Robbie Burton has released his own memoir. Bushline is an account of his love of the bush and books, as well as the pioneering days of conservation in New Zealand.

Why publish your memoir now?

My father died when I was three, so I didn’t know him. I didn’t want this to be the case with my own two sons, so I started this project initially for them. I’ve found the process incredibly rewarding, and it feels like the right time to do it. 

Given your self-professed indifferent school career, how did you discover your enthusiasm for words and reading? 

From a young age, I was always a voracious reader. While I was the wrong kid at the wrong time at high school, a passion for words was 

always there and it has never dimmed. If I had to I could take away music, which I love, but I could never take away reading – that would be too hard. 

Is there a particular approach or technique to writing about tramping and adventuring?

As someone who is not naturally very strong – I’m usually the weakest in 

any party – I’ve tried to be honest and to reflect the experiences of an everyday tramper. I also wanted to capture something of why tramping has meant so much to me and been so transformational in my life. That’s not been easy, but I’ve tried to write the kind of book I like to read.

You’ve written about the environmental movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Has progress been made in the decades since?

People have so quickly lost a sense of how much this country has turned around. Back in the Native Forest Action Council days we would get abused by people who thought 

environmentalists were destroying the economy. But since then, the way in which the community has now become so involved in conservation is really inspiring. We might justifiably feel gloom internationally, and although there are still battles to be fought in New Zealand, we’ve made huge progress. I can never lose hope that change is possible.

Did running a business jeopardise your counterculture values? 

Yes, I really struggled with a career where making a profit had to be at the forefront, and it took me a long time to come to terms with that. But I have tried hard to run both a viable and ethical business. Initially putting on respectable clothes and going to sales conferences was not at all where 

I felt at home. But I’ve always taken the business side seriously.

And how did it feel to pitch your own book to Potton & Burton?

Not comfortable at all and I had real misgivings, but it seemed silly to pitch Bushline to anyone else. It’s turned out to be a fantastic collaboration with the editors and designers I regularly work with. I love that side of publishing – always have and always will. 

Bushline can be purchased in the Wilderness bookstore here. Subscribers get a 10% discount.