A Passion for Print
Tonia Shuttleworth is a woman after my own heart. In a world where digital can feel as though it reigns supreme, she is taking a brave stepforward and realising her dream of becoming a book publisher.
Discover Koa Press, Canterbury’s newest book publisher
BORN AND BRED IN AKAROA, TONIA SHUTTLEWORTH is no stranger to the challenges and madness of the print industry, having spent over 16 years working as an art director on some of the UK’s top food and lifestyle publications. The joy and magic of print is ingrained in who she is. While chatting over coffee, our combined passion for paper stock, paginations, typography and the all too important balance between copy and imagery had us agreeing on the significance of print. The tangible realisation of a magazine or book provides readers with something to hold onto, a reference point for the future, a beautiful addition to the coffee table, bookcase or bedside table. ‘Print is a keepsake,’ she explains. ‘It is long-lasting, it’s not a fleeting moment on a screen.’
Having attended Christchurch Polytechnic (now Ara) where she completed a Bachelor of Design, Tonia took her first step on the creative ladder with Kathmandu as a senior designer in the marketing department. It was a role that took her all over the world. ‘The marketing manager and I would be away for a month at a time photographing and styling the images for the catalogue and then return home so I could design it.’ An exhilarating role that saw her gain a young talent award at the Australasian Catalogue Awards in 2003.
Around the same time, she made the decision to leave New Zealand and head offshore. Armed with a two-year working visa, she headed to London and dived headfirst into the world of publishing, working her way up from a designer to art director.
Having fallen in love, not only with London’s publishing industry, but with now husband Simon, the United Kingdom became home for over 16 years. ‘We made the decision to move to Christchurch in August 2019,’ she explains. While she describes a love for Akaroa and Christchurch and that there was always a yearning to return home, it was the addition of daughter Frankie (now five) that was the catalyst to their move. ‘I loved the big city, but that changed with Frankie,’ says Tonia. ‘Coming home has afforded us a lifestyle and a quieter pace of life, more suited to having a family, that we couldn’t have in London.’
The transition from a city of eight million to a country of five million has presented its challenges, which have been compounded by the impacts of Covid. ‘Si’s family and a lot of our friends are in London and it is difficult knowing we can’t jump on a plane and go and visit them,’ she explains. ‘We do worry about them. We feel blessed to be in New Zealand during Covid but also guilty we aren’t with them.’
Returning to Christchurch has allowed Tonia to explore her passion and natural penchant for styling. ‘After Frankie, I decided to grow the prop styling aspect of my work, and left being an art director to become a freelance stylist,’ she explains. ‘And I have loved being able to offer this at home.’
While in London Tonia had access to some ‘amazing’ prop houses, there is very little in the way of this in New Zealand, so she has been reliant on growing her own collection to take along to shoots. ‘Our garage is rapidly filling up with boxes of wonderful things,’ she laughs.
Working with well-known photographer and close friend Sarah Rowlands on projects has allowed Tonia the opportunity to style for a number of iconic New Zealand
lifestyle publications and companies, including a recent cover story for Your Home and Garden while also growing her own brand as a food stylist, photographer, art director and most recently book publisher.
With the transition from London-to-Christchurch life forcing a rethink around priorities, Tonia took the opportunity to put in motion her dream of designing and publishing her own books. ‘I had spent so many years working in print, and know it is very much alive so it felt like the right time to do something for myself.’ The result is Koa Press.
While a global pandemic and the popularity of digital might be enough to put some people off, Tonia was determined to forge ahead. A chance meeting with
Julia Atkinson-Dunn of Studio Home turned out to be serendipitous, resulting in Koa Press’s first book. ‘Ju was a great bouncing board of ideas for me when I returned to Christchurch. One conversation led to another, and the result is Petal Power.’
Focused on 12 specific flowers, the beautiful book is destined to become a hand-tool for beginner gardeners looking to bring more flowers to their backyards, homes and lives. ‘I always thought I would launch Koa Press with a food or lifestyle book over a garden one,’ laughs Tonia, ‘but Ju’s passion is unparalleled and it is easy to get caught up in it.
‘Petal Power, and Ju, have opened my eyes up to gardening. I always felt daunted by it; now I am enjoying it. It is our aim that the book inspires others to feel the same.’
Published, written and printed locally, the book is the first of many, with a plethora of ideas already on paper for the next book. There is no doubt that Tonia is set to delight book lovers far and wide, as Koa Press blooms into the world of publishing.
‘ Petal Power, and Ju, have opened my eyes up to gardening. I always felt daunted by it; now I am enjoying it. It is our aim that the book inspires others to feel the same.’