About me

Mihi and Whakapapa

I am a third generation Pakeha New Zealander whose forebears came from Scotland and Ireland and settled in the Waikato and Coromandel. I was born in Morrinsville in 1948, have one older brother, and my childhood was spent in Northland (mainly Wellsford) and South Auckland (Papatoetoe). In 1964, aged 15, I joined the New Zealand Army as a Regular Force Cadet (Parkinson Class) and spent the next three years based in Waiouru.

I married in 1972 and have two children and three grandchildren.

The awa and maunga I feel connected to are the Waikato River and Ruapehu.

Schooling and Learning

The schools I attended were Wellsford Primary, Papatoetoe West Primary, Papatoetoe Intermediate (now Kedgley Intermediate), Papatoetoe High School, and the Regular Force Cadet School (Waiouru), where I sat and passed School Certificate and University Entrance.

From 1967 to 1969 I attended Canterbury University on a NZ Army sponsored public service study award and gained a B.Sc in Geography. I attended Christchurch Teachers College (secondary division) in 1970 and was awarded a Diploma in Teaching. In 1977 I completed a postgraduate Diploma in Education at Massey University and a Master of Letters in Creative Writing in 2009 through Central Queensland University, Australia.

The stuff I do for money

My working life has centered on teaching and adult education through learning and development in the workplace. After leaving the NZ Army in 1985, where I held positions as a Teacher, Education Officer, Chief Instructor, and Training Manager, I spent 18 months at the State Services Commission as a Senior Advisory Officer in the Training and Development Branch. From 1987 I have been self-employed as a training and development consultant.  Since the September 4, 2010 Canterbury earthquake, I have been working as the back-up Training Manager for the Earthquake Commission.

After hours

As well as writing, I enjoy watching cricket and rugby (and chastising referees), partaking of good food and wine in the company of friends, gardening, and travelling to new places.