Bruce Meder

Bruce Meder worked almost all his adult life in the fields of community development, community education and social justice. He has worked for the NZ Values Party (an early Green party), Friends Of the Earth (FOE), New Internationalist and many other community organisations.

He has helped edit and publish "Beyond Tomorrow" (NZ Values Party election manifesto) and "Peacelink" – a magazine devoted to the peace and indigenous rights movement in New Zealand and the Pacific.

Since the mid-1980s Bruce worked for national and local government. During that time he continued to work voluntarily with men’s groups, environmental and peace groups in Christchurch. He also undertook lessons in Te Reo Māori (Māori language) inspired by a growing awareness of institutional and cultural racism in his country of birth.

The Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 disrupted Bruce’s life and he moved to Coffs Harbour in Australia where he has been involved with a men’s mentoring group, the local climate action group and an Insight Meditation sangha. He obtains some employment as a facilitator with a restorative justice program.

Bruce spends much of his day researching and writing, and is a member of the Coffs Harbour Writers Group. He writes a weekly blog (rainbowjuice.org) dedicated to community development, social justice, and sustainability issues.

In his early life, Bruce worked as a gravedigger, coal bagger, postie, aircraft loader, part-time teacher, and land surveyor.

Bruce has a B.Sc. in mathematics, a Dip.Surv., and a Certificate in Continuing Education, but considers his own reading, research, and experience to have been the best education he has gained.