October 5

Joanna is a children's writer whose books share a focus on New Zealand's natural environment, and on Maori mythology and folklore.

She won the Children's Book of the Year Award for The Guardian of the Land (1985).

"The 1000 years of Maori occupation provide us with a rich heritage of story and belief that cries out to be woven into our literature," she writes.

Joanna's background is in the natural sciences, and she has worked as a plant ecologist and science editor. She now works as a freelance writer and editor on interpretation projects with a focus on natural and cultural heritage.

Her first book for children is 'Ihaka and the Summer Wandering' (1983), which was followed by 'Ihaka and the Prophecy' (1984); 'The Guardian of the Land' (1985); 'Watcher in the Forest' (1987); and 'Tar Dragon' (1997).

Joanna's latest book is 'Out of Tune' (Longacre, 2004) and was a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction Category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2005.