Anton Blank

Anton Blank (Ngati Porou/Ngati Kahungunu) is a Maori editor and writer who lives in Auckland. He is interested in indigenous cultural identities, the politics of gender and sexuality – and how these issues play out for indigenous peoples in contemporary settings.

Anton argues that the range of Maori experiences represented in literature currently in circulation is limited. Driven by a passion to read a more diverse range of Maori literature, and a natural inclination towards post-modernism, Anton established the Maori literary journal Ora Nui in 2012. Issue 2, which will be launched in March, includes contributions from Maori and Aboriginal writers.

Anton’s essays and prose have been published by Tandem Press, Huia Publishing, Anton Blank Ltd, and the Victoria University literary journal Turbine. Anton is also New Zealand’s most prominent Maori child advocate, leading the public debate about child poverty and related issues for Maori and Pasifika children.