Authors

No biography

Kelsey Waghorn was born in Palmerston North and grew up in Whakatane on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. She was still in high school when she discovered a passion for the sea and everything in it and on it. She gained a diploma in marine science and a degree in biological sciences and when, after graduating, she was offered a job taking tourists around Whakaari White Island she accepted so she could spend the summer on the sea going back and forth to the island. Five years and one day later she was still in the job. But that was the day her whole life changed... On 9th December 2019, Whakaari White Island erupted, killing 22 people and severely injuring most of the others on the island at the time - Kelsey being one of them. She received full thickness burns to 45% of her body, and has since undergone 17 surgeries, and hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of rehab. She considered the physical part of her recovery the hardest thing she'd ever done, until the mental side of things kicked off. Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a year or so after the eruption, she battled flashbacks, hypervigilance, panic attacks, fear, depression, dissociation, isolation and more. Her book Surviving White Island tells her story and how she managed to find the help she so desperately needed. After a lot of work and a lot of healing, she is now living life to the fullest.

Neil Wagner was born in South Africa and has become one of New Zealand's finest Test cricketers - his 260 wickets have him 5th on the all-time charts. He is well known and loved for his passion and commitment, and his unique style that helped the Black Caps to the World Test Championship title and their best ever decade.

Dorothy Waide is a Karitane Mothercraft nurse based in Auckland and one of New Zealand’s most sought-after baby sleep consultants. In 2015 Dorothy wrote her book You Simply Can’t Spoil a Newborn which became a bestseller. Dorothy has written articles for OHbaby!, Little Treasures, Porse, and currently blogs for ecostore and Sleepytot. Over the past 7 years Dorothy has featured on Seven Sharp, Breakfast, Good Morning TVNZ and helped Jenny-May Coffin with her twins on Whanau Living. Dorothy has also featured in Next, New Idea, Kiwi Parent Magazine, Porse Magazine, Australian Women’s Weekly, NZ Herald, Stuff and regional newspapers and had radio appearances on The Hits, More FM, Newstalk ZB nationwide and other regional radio stations throughout the country.

No biography

No biography

No biography

No biography

Julia Waite is curator, New Zealand art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Her research interests are focused on the development of modern art in New Zealand and global modernisms. She co-curated Gordon Walters: New Vision (2018) and Louise Henderson: From Life (2019), both of which toured New Zealand and have associated publications that she contributed to and co-edited. Her most recent large-scale exhibition, Bill Culbert | Slow Wonder (2021), included works never before presented in Aotearoa New Zealand and is accompanied by a catalogue. Waite is an arts commentator on Radio New Zealand, regularly contributes to publications, and is studying for a PhD in Art History at the University of Auckland.

No biography