Authors

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Cassie Hart (Kai Tahu) is a writer of speculative fiction. Her short stories have appeared in several award-winning anthologies, and she was a finalist for both the Sir Julius Vogel and Australian Shadow Awards. In 2018, Cassie took part in the Te Papa Tupu writing programme. A fan of coffee, cats and zombies, Cassie lives in Taranaki. Butcherbird is her first novel.

Alyse Boaz is published in educational books. Her first children’s picture book 'Royal Blue' was published in 2021. 'Sammy the Rooster' is the second in a planned series of picture books. Samantha Hart is a talented Wellington student with a passion for the arts. Involved with both performing arts as a circus performer and illustrative artwork, she was keen to take the opportunity of illustrating an ecological children’s book. She has brought a young eye to 'Sammy the Rooster', the first children’s picture book she has illustrated.

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Siobhan Harvey is the author of the poetry collection Lost Relatives (2011) and a book of literary interviews, Words Chosen Carefully: New Zealand writers in discussion (2010), as well as editor of Our Own Kind: 100 New Zealand poems about animals (2009). Her poems have been published in magazines and anthologies at home and internationally. In recent years she has been runner-up in Dorothy Porter Poetry Prize (Aus), the Kevin Ireland Poetry Competition and Landfall Essay Prize, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize (US). The Poetry Archive (UK) holds a Poet's Page' devoted to her work.

After three years as a student journalist and editor at Auckland University, JOHN HARVEY joined the Auckland Star as a reporter in 1966. He subsequently worked in Brisbane and as a features writer and London sports editor for Westminster Press in Fleet Street. In 1973 he joined the Manawatu Standard, and was an award-winning editor of that newspaper between 1985 and 1999. He worked in Parliament as a press secretary from late 1999 to 2012. He has written books on All Black Bull Allen and on Manawatu as well as a biography of Annette King.

Lizzie Harwood grew up on Great Barrier Island and writes novels set in the far-flung places she's lived. Her memoir Xamnesia and Triumph: Collected Stories are international Amazon bestsellers. She is the co-founder of the First Pages Prize, an international writing award to support emerging un-agented writers. After 24 years out of New Zealand, mainly in Paris, she now lives in Auckland with her family. She is the winner of the inaugural NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize with her novel Polaroid Nights.

Paul Haskins' life has been a journey from darkness to light. From a childhood marked by rejection, bullying, and struggle, he battled addiction, anger, and lost direction. Through faith, self-reflection, and the love of his wife and family, Paul discovered true self-worth, purpose, and forgiveness in Christ. Today, he is a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and community leader. In

Graham Hassall is an associate professor at Victoria University of Wellington (2010-present). He was president of the United Nations Association of New Zealand (2012-16) and is chair of the New Zealand Centre for Global Studies (2018-present). Negar Partow is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University. She is a New Zealand Institute of International Affairs board member and United Nations Association of New Zealand special officer.

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Associate Professor Craig Hassed is an internationally recognised mindfulness expert. He is co-author of the two top-ranked online mindfulness courses in the world, was the founding president of Meditation Australia, and has received the medal of the Order of Australia for services to medicine. Dr Stephen McKenzie is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne’s School of Psychological Sciences with over thirty years of experience in researching and teaching a broad range of areas.