Authors

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Paora/Paul Tapsell is a local tribal member of the Arawa people of the Bay of Plenty. He was raised on the ancestral gardens of his grandparents, named Te Whatitiripataihi (the spine tingling thunderclap signalling time for autumn/fall harvest). Paul Tapsell is Professor of Indigenous Studies at University of Melbourne. His recent work includes a digital web service, designed to assist urban-raised Maori youth reconnect to their ancestral communities (www.maorimaps.com).

No biography

K. M TARRANT was born in Temuka, a quiet, friendly little town, in the South Island of New Zealand. From a very young age, she loved to write. As she grew to adulthood, she continued writing but apart from a few memorial pieces for friends who had lost loved ones, she kept her ‘scribbles’ to herself. Tarrant often recited ‘made up stories’ to her three children at bedtime as they preferred those to the books on their shelves. In 2004, Tarrant, her husband, their children and three cats, moved to Lower Hutt where they lived for several years before moving even further north to the North Shore of Auckland. Once there, Tarrant began looking for work, and an inspired suggestion during a phone call with a dear friend and neighbour in Lower Hutt, the wonderful Helen Whatman (sadly now deceased), pointed Tarrant toward a career in funeral service and in 2012 she qualified as an embalmer. ‘Life and Death in Birkenhead’ is her first novel. It borrows from her years as an embalmer and blends two other interests – crime and figuring out what makes people tick.

Pā Henare Tate (Ngāti Manawa, Te Rarawa) was formerly a lecturer at the Auckland Catholic Institute of Theology, and the University of Auckland School of Theology. He obtained a doctorate from The Melbourne College of Divinity, and was a specialist in Māori spirituality. Pā passed away on his turangawaewae in the Hokianga in 2017.

No biography

No biography

Te Maire Tau is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Canterbury and Director of the Ngai TahuResearch Centre. He is the author of Nga Pikituroa o Ngai Tahu: The Oral Traditions of Ngai Tahu (2003) and, with Atholl Anderson, Ngai Tahu: A Migration History (2008).

No biography

No biography

Wilse grew up on a sheep farm in South Otago, attended high school in Dunedin, and studied physics at Canterbury University. He lives in western Canada.

Lynda Taylor was born and raised in Auckland and now lives semi-rurally in Hawke's Bay. With a lifelong passion for books and literature, she completed a BA in English from Massey University in 2016 and a Master of Creative Writing in 2021, both as a part-time distance learner. Lynda has a keen interest in history, particularly the untold stories of women during wartime. Her research has focused on the contributions of Kiwi women on the home front during World War II, especially the little-known work of land girls. Drawing on her own experience of transitioning from city life in Auckland to rural living in Hawke's Bay, Lynda brings a unique perspective to her storytelling, blending historical insight with a deep appreciation for the sacrifices and resilience of these women.