National Board
NZSA President – Dr Vanda Symon
Dr. Vanda Symon is the Author of the Detective Sam Shephard crime fiction series and the stand-alone thriller The Faceless. Her novels are published internationally. She is a four-time finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Fiction novel and was shortlisted for the British CWA New Blood Dagger award. A Dunedin resident, Vanda produced and hosted a monthly radio show for the Otago Southland NZSA called Write On, broadcast on Otago Access Radio for many years. Among the many roles she enjoys, Vanda is the President of the NZSA and a writing mentor for the organisation. She was the Chair of Copyright Licensing New Zealand, where she served on the Board for four years. Vanda is a New Zealander of Fijian descent.
Perena Quinlivan – Te Māngai Māori ki te Poari Representative
Perena Quinlivan (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, Waikato-Tainui) is a Tāmaki Makaurau based writer and founder of Te Puna Consulting, which provides business advisory, management consultancy and project management services. He grew up in Hawkes Bay and graduated from Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Auckland, the University of Sydney, the Australian Graduate School of Management, Te Whare Wananga o Aotearoa, and Te Whare Wananga o Raukawa. Perena has worked in the private sector and in a variety of senior roles in central and local government. His fluency in Bahasa Indonesia enabled him to work both as a New Zealand diplomat and a Sydney-based management consultant in the Asia-Pacific region for several years. Perena is a former recipient of an NZSA mentorship. His poetry has been published in New Zealand journals. He is also part of the Te Kaituhi Māori branch komiti.
Melinda Szymanik – NZSA Vice-President and Northern Districts Regional Delegate
Melinda Szymanik is an Auckland-based award-winning writer of picture books, short stories and novels for children and young adults. She also writes poetry for children and adults. Her picture book, The Were-Nana, won the New Zealand Post Children’s Choice Award in 2009, was a Storylines Notable Book in the same year, and was shortlisted for Japan’s 2010 Sakura Medal. A Winter’s Day in 1939, Melinda’s fourth novel was a Storylines Notable Book (2014), shortlisted for the Junior Fiction Award at the 2014 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards, and won Librarian’s Choice at the 2014 LIANZA Awards. Her picture book, Fuzzy Doodle, was a finalist for the Picture Book and Russell Clark Awards at the 2017 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, a 2017 Storylines Notable Book and was a 2017 White Raven Selection. Melinda’s short stories have appeared in trade and educational publications in New Zealand and Australia and were gathered in the collection Time Machine & Other Stories, a finalist at the 2020 NZ Children’s and Young Adults Book Awards. Melinda has four new picture books coming out over the next two years
Melinda has a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and a post-graduate Diploma in Children’s Literature. She also has a Master’s Degree in Zoology. She regularly visits schools as part of Read NZ’s ‘Writers in Schools’ programme, was the 2014 University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence, and a judge for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2016, and for the Storylines Joy Cowley Award from 2019-2021. Currently a trustee on the New Zealand Book Awards Trust board representing NZSA, Melinda has appeared at writers’ festivals across New Zealand, regularly teaches creative writing workshops for adults and children, and blogs on writing.
Melinda has been a member of the NZ Society of Authors for over twenty years. She received mentoring through the Society’s mentoring programme in 2005 leading to her first published novel, Jack the Viking (Scholastic, 2008), and now mentors and advises others through this and other schemes. Melinda is keen to support all Society activities, but particularly advocacy for the protection of authors’ rights, including copyright and the ducational lending right. She is also concerned about the low profile of local literature amongst the New Zealand public and is keen to explore ways to challenge and change this. The Northern Districts region encompasses Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty. Blogspot
Jessica Thomas – NZSA National Board Youth representative
Jessica Thomas is a writer, editor, and passionate advocate for youth engagement in literature. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and English, a First-Class Honours in History, and a Master’s in Creative Writing. Currently completing her PhD in History as a University of Auckland Doctoral Fellowship recipient, she brings a deep academic and creative understanding of storytelling to her work.
With eight years of experience as an editor and manuscript assessor – including work with HighSpot Literary Agency and through NZSA’s database of editors -Jessica has developed a keen eye for crafting compelling narratives and supporting emerging writers.
As the National Youth Representative for the New Zealand Society of Authors, she is dedicated to fostering a strong, connected community of young writers across the country. Above all, she is deeply passionate about books and encouraging young people to read, write, and engage with literature in meaningful ways.
Regional Delegates
Tracy Farr – Regional Delegate for Wellington & Wairarapa
Tracy Farr is a writer who used to be a scientist. She was awarded the 2024 NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize for her third novel, Wonderland (The Cuba Press, 2025).
Tracy’s debut novel, The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt was long- or shortlisted for three prestigious literary awards in Australia, and her second novel, The Hope Fault, was one of NZ Listener’s 100 Best Books of 2017. Both novels were published internationally. Her short fiction has won awards (including the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Award) and been published in anthologies, magazines, and literary journals. The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt and many of Tracy’s short stories have been adapted for radio and broadcast by RNZ, and The Hope Fault was adapted for the stage, premiering in Australia in 2019.
Tracy curates live literary series Bad Diaries Salon and its sister project, Bad Diaries Podcast. She’s taught writing workshops at festivals, writing centres and NZSA Roadshows, and has been awarded residencies, fellowships, and funding in Aotearoa and Australia.
Born in Melbourne, Tracy grew up in Perth, Western Australia. She’s lived in Wellington for nearly 30 years. Through her non-writing work, she has substantial experience in the administration and promotion of professional membership organisations in the science and knowledge sectors. Tracy was NZSA Vice President in 2022 and 2023.
Link to website: http://tracyfarrauthor.com/
Tess Redgrave – Central Districts Regional Delegate
Tess Redgrave grew up in Hawke’s Bay and has recently returned to live there. She is a trained journalist and has worked as a writer and editor for many publications, including the Reader’s Digest, North & South magazine, and as an editor and Publications Team Leader at the University of Auckland. She has published a non-fiction book going the distance: women outdoors in New Zealand (Tandem Press 2002) and her debut novel Gone to Pegasus (Mākaro Press 2018). She is currently working on a creative non-fiction project with the draft title, Behind the curtains: In search of my grandmother.
The Central Districts region includes Manawatu, Hawkes Bay, the East Cape, Taupo, and Taranaki.
Iona Winter – Southern Districts Regional Delegate
Iona Winter (Waitaha/Kāti Mamoe/Celtic) is a poet, essayist, storyteller and editor. With four published collections of poetry and hybrid fiction, most recently In the shape of his hand lay a river (2024), her work has been anthologised and shortlisted internationally.
In 2022, Iona was awarded the CLNZ/NZSA Writers’ Award for A Counter of Moons, due for publication with Steele Roberts Aotearoa in 2025. She is the founder of Elixir & Star Press, an indie press dedicated to the expression of grief in Aotearoa New Zealand. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing (AUT), is actively involved with writers in Te Wai Pounamu, a committee member with NZSA Top of the South, and has served on several editorial boards, including The Coalition for Books, takahē and Flash Frontier.
Iona’s creative work includes poems spraypainted on fences, collaborative exhibitions with musicians and mixed-media artists, and performances at festivals locally and abroad. When she’s not writing you’ll probably find her in the garden. Iona lives in Reefton, on Aotearoa’s southern West Coast.
List of Past Presidents (link)