Deborah Challinor, of Hamilton, MNZM for services to literature and historical research
Dr Deborah Challinor is a historian and an author of historical fiction. Her military history PhD thesis on the Vietnam War was published as the book ‘Grey Ghosts’, which drew from more than 50 oral histories of New Zealand combatants. She co-wrote the book ‘Who’ll Stop the Rain?’, which documented the experiences of New Zealand veterans and their families suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. Her first historical fiction novel, ‘Tamar’, has been reprinted domestically six times and published overseas. She has published a further 15 novels, all set against defining moments in New Zealand’s history. In 2015, 2016, and 2017, Dr Challinor was New Zealand’s highest-selling author.