Creative/Executive Producer

Bronwen Christianos

ANew Zealander Bronwen Christianos is the key architect behind the Green Fire Islands project, which has been developed over the last ten years in close collaboration with Donal Lunny.  A published author and mother of eight, born in 1944 in the post war period and schooled at Epsom Girls Grammar and Auckland Diocesan for Girls, Bronwen has led a life with experience in a number of diverse fields, with her positioning of choice being firmly behind the scenes.   Green Fire Islands is a showpiece of what has been a theme in Bronwen’s life work, which is to affirm, uphold and uplift New Zealand's unique identity.  From the early 1960's Bronwen watched friends such as Barry Lett and Peter McLeavey as they created an international market for New Zealand art, and progressed the public perception that art was something well worthy of investment, which in turn allowed the path of creating art to be accepted as a serious career.  In the 1970's, Bronwen collaborated as a screen printer with haute couture designer Vinka Lucas, with her internationally renowned collections. In another area of diversity, Bronwen spent time on the East Coast of the North Island working with Maori shearing gangs. She describes this as a pivotal turning point in her life.  It was during this time that she was taken under of the wing of the tohunga and master carver Pine Taiapa, and songwriter Ngoi Pewhairangi and was subsequently ‘adopted’ into their tribe Ngati Porou.  From a unique vantage point Bronwen has been able to witness the Maori renaissance from within and yet remain an objective observer.  Her three published books 'Talking About the Treaty', 'The Seasons of Aotearoa' and 'Te Whanau: A Celebration of Te Whanau O Waipareira,' are all explorations of the social dynamic within NZ.