David Young

David Young is a respected writer, commentator, journalist, environmentalist, and historian. Working independently in the field of history and the environment he work explores the nature-culture relationship, including perspectives from indigenous nature and indigenous culture.

Recently he has published a novel, Coast.

His books include Faces of the River and Woven by Water: Histories from the Whanganui River, a study of race relations on what is arguably the most distinctively "Maori" river in Aotearoa New Zealand. His most recent books are Our Islands, Our Selves: A History of Conservation in New Zealand; Whio: Saving New Zealand's Endangered Blue Duck; and Keeper of the Long View: The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and Sustainability.

COAST is an entirely unique novel that sets up a resonance between a departing shore in Scotland, and a receiving shore, in New Zealand. Told by three inter-cutting voices, the narrative raises questions about war and its impacts on fathers and sons. This work explores the tension between community and freedom, of family and belonging, the relationship of tangata whenua to the landscape and the redemptive power of love.