Jeffrey Paparoa Holman
Jeffrey Paparoa Holman is one of sixty authors who attended The Press Christchurch Writers Festival from 4 to 7 September 2008.
Jeffrey Paparoa Holman is a poet and author.
He also recently completed a doctoral thesis at the University of Canterbury, Best of both worlds: Elsdon Best and the metamorphosis of Māori spirituality. The thesis was published in 2010 as The Best of both worlds: The story of Eldson Best and Tutakangahau
In 2007 Holman won the Copyright Licensing Ltd Writers' Award. The judging convener described Holman as belonging to the "relentless tradition" of authors who take low or underpaid work to retain a portion of their lives for writing. He has worked as a sheep-shearer, postman, psychiatric social worker and bookseller.
Poetry and short fiction
Holman’s poetry collections include Two poets (1974) with David Walker and As big as a father (2002). The title poem As big as a father won the 1997 Whitireia Prize and is included in Essential New Zealand poems (2001). The late great Blackball bridge sonnets was published in 2004. His poems and short stories have also appeared in the NZ Listener and Landfall.
