Gordon Brown

For more than a quarter of a century I’ve had a lot of fun writing stories about people. Along the way I was fortunate enough to win, or be a finalist in, 15 national journalism awards. They were in diverse subjects, from New Zealand rugby’s supreme media award and surf lifesaving to general features, to business writing - it’s that diversity I’ve loved.

Until just over a year ago, when I stopped working fulltime in the newspaper business, I hadn’t written nearly as much as I would have liked, apart from columns for the Taranaki Daily News and the Timaru Herald, both of which still run them, because I’ve been running newsrooms.
In April 2011, I left the Taranaki Daily News, where I was the Chief of Staff.

Before that I was the community newspapers editor, running the North Taranaki Midweek and the South Taranaki Star. That followed a two-year stint at Witt (the Western institute of Technology at Taranaki) where I was the Head of Journalism. During that time I also edited the New Plymouth Boy’s High School 125th official book in 2007.

That was all fun, but in the last year I’ve been able to fulfil my goal of writing a lot more people stories, and enjoy myself and hopefully help others to do the same.

I like to inject humour into stories, and bring the subject alive. It is a privilege and an honour, being allowed into someone’s soul and mind. Biographies are a speciality, it goes without saying – almost.

 

PUBLISHED WORKS:

• Editing the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce magazine, Taranaki Business Review
• Providing content for Western Institute of Taranaki (WITT) monthly newspaper, Connections.
• Edited Mountain Adventures book by Manawatu mountaineer-author Tony Gates
• Write monthly published columns for New Plymouth Injury Safe.
• Write monthly published columns for Taranaki Safer Families
• Write copy for websites
• Edited the NPBHS 125th Anniversary book, “Within and Beyond the Gates’’
• Write weekly columns for the Taranaki Daily News