Peter Bland

Peter Bland (born 12 May 1934 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire) is a British-New Zealand poet and actor.

Life He emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 20 and graduated from the Victoria University of Wellington.

He worked as a radio producer for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation.

He became closely associated with the Wellington Group which included James K. Baxter and Louis Johnson. He worked in theatre, as co-founder and artistic director of Downstage Theatre from 1964–68.

He returned to Britain in 1970 for a short time but now lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Awards and honours 1977 Cholmondeley Award Arvon Foundation International Poetry Competition, England 2011 Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement

Works

Poetry

Plays Father’s Day (Wellington, 1966; the first locally-written production at Downstage Theatre) George the Mad Ad Man (Wellington, 1967, and Coventry, England, 1969).

Film and Television Acting A Touch of the Other (1970) Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1974) Dangerous Orphans (1985) Came a Hot Friday (1985) Queen City Rocker (1986) Heart of the High Country (1985)

Memoir