Creative writer Abby Letteri on the nature of horses
Photo:
Supplied
Creative writer Abby Letteri has long been an admirer of horses.
Watching the horses in her paddock one day, it dawned on her how much humans impacted the way they lived.
So she decided to bring her two loves together - horses and writing - to explore the true nature of the animals.
It became the topic of her PhD in Creative Writing which she recently received from Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters.
Her research took her from Iceland to the Mongolian Desert, where she studied the behaviour of free-living and wild horses.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
07-08-2025
- RNZ News
A weekend school for young writers in Christchurch
For more than 30 years, children and young people with a passion for writing have been able to attend a weekend school in Christchurch and have their talents nurtured by established writers. At the moment more than 100 young people between the ages of 6 and 18 devote two hours every Saturday to writing. They also have the chance to have their work published in a magazine, Write On, produced by the charity running the school. Susie is joined by the Director of Write On, Heather McQuillan. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Otago Daily Times
06-08-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Book puts spotlight on NZ actors
University of Otago Associate Prof of theatre studies Hilary Halba holds a copy of the recently released book Acting in Aotearoa, which she edited with retired professor of theatre studies at Victoria University, David O'Donnell. PHOTO: BRENDA HARWOOD The history and practice of acting in New Zealand from many decades ago to the present day was launched in Dunedin recently. Curated and edited by University of Otago Associate Prof of theatre studies Hilary Halba and recently retired professor of theatre studies at Victoria University David O'Donnell, both with long and active careers in theatre, the book Acting in Aotearoa brings together a range of voices from across the country's theatre ecosystem. Assoc Prof Halba told The Star the idea for the book was sparked by the recognition there had been no books produced about actors in New Zealand. ''We saw that as a real gap — the actor is the person you see on stage, they are a key part of the theatre experience,'' she said. A lot of acting practice and techniques in New Zealand had been imported from overseas many years ago, so it was important that the book acknowledged the more recent shift towards te ao Māori and a Māori tikanga approach to theatre, she said. Published by Routledge, Acting in Aotearoa is divided into chapters in which contributors examine not only historical aspects of acting in New Zealand, but also the cultural and political forces that have shaped them. There are also vivid personal accounts from contributors, both professional artists and scholars, and multiple interviews. ''One of our aims in putting together the book was to hear from a diverse range of actors and theatre practitioners, and I think we have achieved that,'' Assoc Prof Halba said. ''This includes an international perspective from Miranda Harcourt, who works internationally as an acting coach with a of well-known artists, which is fascinating.'' The book also focuses on acting in Dunedin, and includes interviews with Cindy Diver and Hilary Norris — both well known in the city's theatre circles. Assoc Prof Halba said the book's wide-ranging approach to acting and actor training meant it would hopefully appeal to scholars, students and theatre practitioners alike.
Scoop
05-08-2025
- Scoop
Celebrating The Kiwis Shaping A Better World
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University's Distinguished Alumni Award winners for 2025 showcase how their study at the creative, scientific, and political centre of New Zealand continues to help them shape a better world. Every two years, Te Herenga Waka awards the brightest and boldest innovators, visionaries, and community connectors from within its 140,000 alumni with Distinguished Alumni Awards. For 2025, five exceptional alumni have been named as winners: Dai Henwood ONZM —comedian, author, and beloved entertainer. Tanea Heke MNZM —actor and Director of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, nurturing the next generation of performing arts talent. Dr Ratu Mataira —physicist and CEO of OpenStar Technologies, leading groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Dr Vincent O'Malley —acclaimed author and historian, illuminating forgotten parts of our shared history. Dr David Harland —respected diplomat, brokering peace between nations. The five winners are trailblazers and leaders whose diverse work—from inspiring performing arts students to fostering peace, from pioneering science to uniting us through laughter—exemplifies the University's core values of kaitiakitanga, manaatikanga, whanaungatanga, akoranga, and whai mātauranga. Chancellor Alan Judge says, 'Our distinguished alumni award winners reflect the high calibre of graduates we produce at Te Herenga Waka. They share a profound commitment to excellence and our mission to mobilise understanding and action for a better world. 'We are proud to call them alumni and are excited to celebrate their achievements next month,' he said. The Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented at an event in Wellington on Thursday 18 September. Biographies David Harland, BA 1983 Dr David Harland is a diplomat and the executive director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a Geneva-based foundation that specialises in the mediation of armed conflict. He previously worked for the United Nations, including in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti and Timor Leste, and he wrote the UN Secretary-General's landmark report on the fall of Srebrenica. David serves on the UN Secretary-General's high-level advisory board on mediation. He has degrees from Harvard University, Tufts University, Beijing University and Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Tanea Heke, BA 1995 Tanea Heke MNZM is an actor, director and producer of theatre, and has been Tumuaki/Director of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School since 2019. As an actor, Tanea has starred in several theatre, film and television productions over the years, including the film Cousins by Briar Grace Smith. She co-founded Hāpai Productions, a mana wahine, kaupapa Māori theatre company in 2013. She is an artist Trustee on The Arts Foundation—Te Tumu Toi and was the 2020 recipient of the Creative New Zealand Ngā Tohu Hautūtanga Auaha Toi Making a Difference Award. She was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours List 2022. Dai Henwood, BA 1999 Dai Henwood ONZM has been performing comedy for over 25 years, beginning in Wellington at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, where he studied theatre and film. Well-recognised for his appearances on 7 Days, Dai has also hosted the NZ Music Awards, Family Feud, Dancing with the Stars, and Lego Masters New Zealand. He has won numerous awards for comedy, including Best Male Comedian at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards nine times. In 2024, he published the bestselling book Life of Dai, as well as the documentary Live and Let Dai, both of which share his journey with stage four cancer. He was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours. Ratu Mataira, BSc (Hons) 2017, PhD 2022 Physicist Dr Ratu Mataira is on a mission to harness the power of the sun, right here in Te Whanganui-a-tara Wellington. Ratu completed his PhD in Applied Superconductivity at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. By the end of his PhD, he had set the bar as the most prodigious student to graduate from the Robinson Research Institute, the world leader in such technologies. The 33-year-old leads OpenStar Technologies, a Wellington-based start-up building a 'levitated dipole' fusion reactor prototype. Multi-national groups have been trying to achieve this same goal for decades, with massive teams and enormous budgets. Vincent O'Malley, PhD 2004 Dr Vincent O'Malley FRHistS FRSNZ is an award-winning Wellington writer and historian who has authored many bestselling and acclaimed works on Aotearoa New Zealand history, including The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000 (2016) and The New Zealand Wars/Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa (2019). His book Voices from the New Zealand Wars/He Reo nō ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa won the general non-fiction prize at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. In the same year, he received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Non-Fiction. In 2023, he was awarded the Humanities Aronui Medal by the Royal Society Te Apārangi and was a semi-finalist for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
