Two additional senior writers have been incorporated into New Zealand senior writers - Emma McGeorge of Auckland and Mussita Ng of Wellington. There are now eight NZ senior writers.
The senior writer program developed as did the Australian senior writers across the Tasman, it was rather quite straight forward.
Recognising this is a ‘young writer’ program 18-30 years - we needed a means whereby we might encourage the young writers – this came about as at this time a number of the panellists for the annual awards offered to be such encourages and write as a senior writer.
Therefore it is an in-house situation – not a case of inviting those from outside the program to be senior writers for Christian Today. First we’re a young writer ministry focusing on 18-30 year olds. Second, we’d be inundated with older faces wanting to writer for an international on-line publication.
New Zealand senior writers
Major Christine Tyson
Wellington NZ - foundation panellist for the Kiwi young writers and helped put the Kiwi young writer program in place way back in 2011 for a 2012 start. Christina was head of the NZ Salvation Army media unit, now she and her Salvation Army husband Keith run the South Wellington Salvation Army Corps.
Christina Tyson has become the Patron person for the Kiwi young writers coordinating them towards a New Zealand Legal Entity.
Rev Grant Harris
Auckland NZ - Senior Minister Windsor Park Baptist Church. I met Grant in 2008 at the South Pacific Baptist Conference in Cairns and we kept in touch. When I was seeking the Lord to develop a New Zealand young writer group, Grant got on board and assisted in finding young writers. A New Zealand foundation senior writer.
Liz Hay
Liz Hay, Castle Hill - is a retired professional editor and came on board as a Kiwi young writer Panellist in the early years and has become the statistician for the panellists as to the Kiwi young writer Basil Sellers Awards.
Liz and husband Ron a retired Anglican minister and author, they live in the South Island Alps at Castle Hill, not far from Arthur’s Pass on the AlpineTrain route.
Wayne Graham
Wellington, NZ - Wellington, NZ - Wayne is the editor and founder of the ‘The Daily Encourager’ and has been in the secular media for 30 years. Wayne has been a Panellist for some years now.
Susan Barnes
Albury - Susan is the Week 3 coordinator, a respected published writer. We sought Susan as a senior writer to become part of the NZ senior writers group.
Esther Koh
Wellington, NZ - was a lecturer in the Institute of Teacher Education system in Malaysia, speciality English. When migrated to New Zealand qualified as a primary school teacher as she has small children. Esther serves as the Kiwi young writer Editor.
Emma McGeorge
Auckland - spent 10 years with MAF in both New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Emma is a wordsmith with considerable experience in composition.
Mussita Ng
Wellington - Mussita was the editor of the International young writers for some years and when her third baby came, moved to senior writers.
The New Zealand senior writers make up Week 4 of the each Cycle – there are 10 Cycles in the year so each senior writer writes 10 articles a year.
How the system works
The emphasis is on young writers 18-30 years of age. But we do not want to lose these young people so they are transferred into the Over 31s. The Over 31s are published in Week 5 of each Cycle.
Christian Today editor David Chang - this year – sought not to incorporate older faces as senior writers when a vacancy occurred, rather to have the older Over 31s become senior writers.
This is working well across the system - Kiwis, Australians and Internationals.
This secures the stated emphasis – 18-30 years olds, then progression. No one comes in as an Over 31. Rather start as an 18-30 year old and working through.
To become a Kiwi young writer please contact – very welcome
timeout@bushorchestra.com Photo -
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand. Dr Mark Tronson’s Press Service International in 2019 was awarded the Australasian Religious Press Association’s premier award, The Gutenberg. In September 2020 Summer Moore presented her commission portrait of Dr Mark Tronson holding the Gutenberg plaque. The above photo is the upper part from this portrait.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at: http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
