About Barry Mitcalfe
Lived 1930 – 1986 (aged 55–56). Barry Mitcalfe was a New Zealand poet.
Barry Mitcalfe (31 March 1930 – 1986) was a New Zealand poet, editor, and peace activist.
Biography Born in 1930 in Wellington, New Zealand, Mitcalfe studied at Victoria University of Wellington, where he received a Diploma in Education in 1962, and a Bachelor of Arts (with honours) in 1963. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he was a leader of the New Zealand movement against the Vietnam War, and co-edited several booklets on the issue. After the war ended, he became a leader of the New Zealand anti-nuclear movement. In 1981, he was a writer-in-residence at the South Australia College of Advanced Education, and in 1982 held an Ursula Bethell Residency in Creative Writing at the University of Canterbury. In 1977, he was awarded the Katherine Mansfield Fellowship in Menton.
Family Mitcalfe was married to the botanist and conservationist Barbara Mitcalfe.
Published works
Squid, Glenco, 1951. Thirty Poems, Hurricane House, 1960. Poetry of the Maori, Paul's Book Arcade, 1961. Salvation Jones, Torbay, 1962. Nine New Zealanders, Whitcombe & Tombs, Christchurch, 1963. The Long Holiday, Whitcombe & Tombs, Christchurch, 1964. Polynesian Studies, Wellington Teachers' Training College, 1964. Writing: poems, Wellington Teachers College Arts Council, 1969. Maori Poetry: The Singing Word, Victoria University Press, 1974. Moana, Seven Seas, 1975. Migrant, Caveman Press, 1975. I Say, Wait for Me, (short stories), Outrigger, 1976. Maori, Coromandel, 1980; The Square Gang, Faber, 1981. The North Sun, Moon, and Stars, Coromandel, 1982. Beach, Coromandel, 1982. Northland, Coromandel, 1984. Look to the Land, Coromandel, 1986.
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Important facts
People in Barry Mitcalfe's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Barry Mitcalfe's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Barry Mitcalfe?
New Zealand writer (1930–1986)
When was Barry Mitcalfe born?
Barry Mitcalfe was born on 31 March 1930.
When did Barry Mitcalfe die?
Barry Mitcalfe died in 1986.
What was Barry Mitcalfe's occupation?
Barry Mitcalfe was a poet.
What nationality was Barry Mitcalfe?
Barry Mitcalfe was New Zealand.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Barry Mitcalfe. https://biography.guide/barry-mitcalfe/
MLA: "Barry Mitcalfe." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/barry-mitcalfe/.
Chicago: "Barry Mitcalfe." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/barry-mitcalfe/.
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