Katipo Books Workers' Co-Operative

Katipo Books was established in 2006 as a way to bring more radical and alternative educational material into circulation within Otautahi and Aotearoa.

We’re a small collective that aims to grow over time and expand the material we have available, through our online store and regular bookstalls at events such as speakers' evenings, book launches and other events (such as publishing our own literature). We also support and network with other small publishing and distribution groups such as Rebel Press and AK Press.

Our main goal is to develop a sustainable workers' co-operative with accessible premises, through which we aim to facilitate educational workshops, screenprinting, stencil making, and self-publishing.

Katipo Books' philosophy is to work co-operatively as a group, meaning that decision making is non-hierarchical, decentralised and formed by consensus. Members contribute as much of their time and energy to the collective as they feel able. We operate as a non-profit group — all funds from sales go back into sourcing new material and our own small scale publishing. One of our next steps is to provide wages for all collective members and we see this as essential in creating a sustainable and productive workers' co-operative.

As anti-capitalists, we realise the paradox of a radical bookstore existing within the current system. However, we do not exist to enrich ourselves at the expense of consumers, and try hard to move towards the most non-exploitative way of operating. We exist within Capitalism to challenge and subvert Capitalism, and hope to provide the intellectual tools for this very purpose.

The long term vision of Katipo Books is to have available — both within Otautahi and Aotearoa — a large and wide range of alternative, educational and radical material accessible as a resource for both our own and future generations.

Want to get involved? Please get in touch or come along to a meeting! There’s always heaps to do (shop stuff, workshops, stalls, working bees) and you can do as much or as little as you are able. Or help us to continue providing radical books by donating a small amount of money on a regular basis. If you want to become a Friend of Katipo, you’ll receive goodies, an on-going 20% discount and lots of thanks from us!

Become a Friend of Katipo for $10 a month.

Become an awesome, bestest, top-of-the-list Friend of Katipo for $20 a month.

Or simply help out with a one-off donation.

Bank account details:
Kiwibank, Katipo Books, 38 9009 0043665 00