I grew up in Wellington, with books, summer holidays in the Marlborough Sounds, a constant stream of people through our house, and parents with a strong sense of social justice.
Then I lived away from Wellington for a time (including several years in Canada) and eventually came back to Porirua, north of Wellington. I love Wellington, and Porirua in particular. I love its physical beauty, its mix of people, and the way you have to stand up for it because people like to put it down.
I studied at Victoria University and the University of Calgary, and in Calgary I discovered the extraordinarily interesting territory where cultures run up against each other. That interest has driven much of my work and my writing ever since.
The two major projects that took large chunks of my time were the Porirua Language Project (now part of English Language Partners), then the Creative Writing Programme at Whitireia Polytechnic. For ten years I was part of the writing team at Te Papa, Aotearoa New Zealand’s national museum. I was also very fortunate to be involved in projects in Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vanuatu. Now a major focus is Landing Press, a small publisher of poetry that can be enjoyed by many people, with a commitment to include voices rarely heard.
And along the way I have done a range of writing and editing.
We live at Tītahi Bay in Porirua, with a big ocean view, an often wild wind, great swimming in the summer, and family close by. How lucky.
