Gerald Lynn Te Kapa (Gerry) Coates

Ngāi Tahu

1941 -

Gerry Coates was born in Oamaru and studied at Christchurch Boys’ High School, University of Canterbury (1959-64), Victoria University (1979-1981) and CIT (1990) graduating BE (Hons), and an ME. Coates has worked as a consulting engineer since 1970 and is currently working as a director of his own company, Wise Analysis Limited in Wellington.

His long-term interest in writing began with poetry, and in later years has included short stories, non-fiction articles and a novel is in the pipeline. He has attended Huia Publishers writing workshops in 2002 and 2003, and in 2004 he participated in “He Tapu Te Kupu” organised by Te Hā, the Māori Writers Society of Toi Māori Aotearoa. Coates has been short listed in the Māori Literature Awards in 2001, 2003 and 2007. He has also appeared as a panellist at the 2013 Christchurch Readers & Writers' Festival including Keri Hulme, Hinemoana Baker, and chaired by John Hunia. He has given readings and facilitated two poetry writing sessions at the Te Hā o Te Wai Pounamy hui in 2015 and 2017.

Coates has published and edited the industry newsletter Aviation Report (ISSN 1173 6216) from 1995 to 1998 writing some 62 editorials and many news articles. During 2003-2004 he also wrote a number of editorials for Engineering Dimension as President of IPENZ. In 2011 his first collection of poetry and short stories was published by Steele Roberts entitled "The View From Up There."



Biographical sources

  • Email correspondence from Gerry Coates, 6, 7 and 20 March 2006, 7 Feb. 2012. Later email additions by Gerry Coates 6 Sep 2018.

    Fiction

  • "The Day You Died." Huia Short Stories 4. Contemporary Māori Fiction. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 2001. 23-27.
  • "The Green Ngahere of Home." Te Karaka: The Ngāi Tahu Magazine. 19 (2002): 38-39.
  • "Fridge Wars." Huia Short Stories 5. Contemporary Māori Fiction. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 2003. 27-32. Rpt. in Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 55 (2003-04): 124 –126.
  • "The Exploration of Space." Huia Short Stories 5. Contemporary Māori Fiction. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 2003. 33-46.
  • Novel extract.
  • "Chocolate fish melting." Huia short stories 7. Huia Publishers, 2007.
  • “I Am the Walrus.” http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/I%20Am%20The%20Walrus.pdf
  • “Dog Days of Christmas...” Ora Nui 3, Ed. Anton Blank. 2017. 20.

  • Non-fiction

  • Aviation Report - Collected editorials 1994-1998 (Unpublished in this form).
  • “Final Report and Decision of the Board of Inquiry into the Proposed Ruakura Development Plan Change, Volume 1 of 3: Final Report and Decision, Judge M Harland (Chair), J Hudson, J Hodges (Environment Commissioner ), G Te Kapa Coates.
  • "The Responsibility of Engineers." New Zealand Engineering 38.8 (1983): 23-24.
  • "Nuclear War – and the Loud Silence." New Zealand Engineering 38.5 (1983): 3.
  • “An Engineer Comments: ESR supports prudence over Maui.” New Zealand Engineering 40:11 (Dec 1985).
  • "Engineers as Moral Heroes – Are Our Ethics Good Enough?" New Zealand Engineering 41.8 (1986): 13, 15, 17, 19.
  • Taken from Coates’ paper presented to the Wellington Branch of IPENZ on May 8, 1986.
  • "Electromagnetic Pulse." New Zealand After Nuclear War. Wellington, N.Z.: NZ Planning Council, 1987. No further details.
  • "Submission on Social Policy." New Zealand Engineering 42.10 (1987): 34-39.
  • Co-authored with Roger Blakeley, David Elms and others.
  • "Effects of Electromagnetic Pulse on Power and Communications." New Zealand Engineering 43.2 (1988): 17-20.
  • "Engineers – Do we Deserve Better Advice?" Terra Nova (1990). No details.
  • "Low Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation - Safe or Suspect?" New Zealand Engineering 46.2 (1991): 36-37.
  • "Struggling Towards a Comprehensive Test Ban." New Zealand International Review 16.4 (1991): 20-24.
  • "Technology and the Public Interest." Proceedings of "Ethics at Work" Conference. Auckland, N.Z., 1991. No details.
  • "Engineers – Guardians or Pimps?" New Zealand Engineering 47.5 (1992): 13-14.
  • "Becoming a More Trusted Profession." New Zealand Engineering 48.9 (1993): 40.
  • "Earning the Public Trust Requires Truthfulness." New Zealand Engineering 49.1 (1994): 17.
  • "Third Triennial Human Factors Symposium Heightens Awareness of Safety Impact." ICAO Journal (1996). No details.
  • "Sharing Technology’s Benefits - Essential for Stability: The Limits to Reason." Future Times 3 (1997): 7-9.
  • Co-authored with Alan Fricker.
  • “The Ngai Tahu Settlement.” Fish & Game ‘Special Edition’, Summer 1997.
  • “Crown Settlement Offer.” Te Karaka Special Edition, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, November 1998.
  • "The Silence of the Lambs - What is it that Inhibits Engineers from Speaking out on Public Issues?" New Zealand Engineering 54.3 (1999): 40.
  • "Show a Little Respect!" New Zealand Engineering 54.5 (1999): 40.
  • "Five Reasons Why My Children Won’t be Engineers." New Zealand Engineering 54.5 (1999): 44.
  • "Developing a Values Based Code of Ethics." IPENZ Transactions and Proceedings of Australasian Environmental Engineering Conference, July 1999. 27.1 (2000). No further details.
  • "Obituary Bob Beatty." e.nz. 2.4 (2001): 57.
  • Co-authored with Hugh Saddler.
  • "International Association of Arson Investigators 52nd Annual Conference May 20-25 – Atlantic City." Fire & Arson Investigator (2002). No details.
  • "Switched On – Gerry Coates Looks at the Reliability of Switchboards and Their Electrical Infrastructure." Electrical Technology (2002). No details.
  • "Engineers and Decision-making." e.nz magazine 5.2 (2004): 3.
  • "Technically Savvy Boards – the Hidden Value of Engineers." Boardroom July 2004. Institute of Directors. No details.
  • "Can Engineers Still Save the World?" Pacific Ecologist 9 (2004): 11-16.
  • "The Human Factors of Engineering." Engineering World Oct./Nov. 2004. Rpt. in e.nz magazine 6.3 (2005): 43-48.
  • "Sustainable Transport: Wishing and Hoping..." e.nz magazine 6.2 (2005): 32-35.
  • "Part II of Human Factors of Engineering." e.nz magazine 6.4 (2005): 43-47.
  • "Sustainability Principles and Practice for Engineers." IEEE IEEE Technology and Society Magazine (Fall 2005). No further details.
  • Co-authored Carol Boyle.
  • “Sustainable Aviation - Obvious or Oxymoron?” Future Times 3, 2008.
  • “NZ’s Chance to Influence the Winds of Change.” Dominion Post 26 January, 2009.
  • “IRENA: Getting Serious About Renewable Energy.” Power Energy Systems, UK, August 2009.
  • “Getting Serious: How renewable energy policies are being promoted internationally.” New Electronics (UK), March 2010.
  • “Getting Serious About Renewable Energy.” Energy Digital, UK December 2010 http://www.energydigital.com/blogs/editor/getting-serious-about-renewable-energy
  • The Carbon Cycle − towards becoming carbon neutral. Engineers for Social Responsibility climate change fact sheet 3, 2014 (Updated 2016)
  • Updated 2016.
  • “Making the Pen Mightier than the Taiaha.” Te Karaka 65, Autumn 2015.

  • Poetry

  • "Strong Women." Landfall 139.3 (1981): 266.
  • "Travelling." Landfall 139.3 (1981): 266.
  • "Here’s Hoping." Peace Poems. Wainuiomata, N.Z.: Poets for Peace, [1984]: 22.
  • "Excitement." Peace Poems. Wainuiomata, N.Z.: Poets for Peace, [1984]: 23.
  • "The Day Before." Peace Poems. Wainuiomata, N.Z.: Poets for Peace, [1984]: 24.
  • "Whanaukataka." Te Karaka: The Ngāi Tahu Magazine (Raumati/Summer 2002): 8.
  • The View From Up There: Poems and Short Stories 1961-2011. Wellington, N.Z.: Steele Roberts, 2011.
  • “Life Cycles (Matariki 2015)” Ora Nui 3, Ed. Anton Blank. 2017: 24.
  • “No Country for Kaumātua.” Ora Nui 3, Ed. Anton Blank. 2017: 24.
  • “The Leaf.” Ora Nui 3, Ed. Anton Blank. 2017: 25.
  • “Utu for the Swamp Dwellers.” Ora Nui 3, Ed. Anton Blank. 2017: 25.

  • Reviews

  • Rev of “Heke-nuku-mai-nga-iwi Busby: Not here by chance," by Jeff Evans. http://www.landfallreview.com/a-voyaging-waka/
  • Rev of “KŪPAPA: The bitter legacy of Māori alliances with the Crown,” by Ron Crosby. Landfall online reviews http://www.landfallreview.com/perpetrator-judge-and-jury/
  • "Book Review." Rev. of Whenua - Managing our Resources, Ed. Merata Kawharu. e.nz magazine 4.3 (2003): 3.
  • Rev of “Best of Both Worlds”, Jeffrey Paparoa Holman, Te Karaka 47, Winter 2010.
  • Rev of “Koiwi Koiwi/Bone Bone”, Hinemoana Baker. Te Karaka 48, Spring 2010.
  • Rev of “Māori and the Environment: Kaitiaki”, Eds. Rachel Selby, Pātaka Moore and Malcolm Mulholland. Te Karaka 48, Spring 2010.
  • Rev of “Pounamu – The Jade of New Zealand”, Russell Beck. Te Karaka 49, Summer 2010.
  • Rev of “The State of Māori Rights”, Margaret Mutu. Te Karaka 50, Winter 2010.
  • Rev of “Guns and Utu”, Matthew Wright. Te Karaka 51, Spring 2011.
  • Rev of “New Zealand Racism in the Making”, Harry C Evison. Te Karaka 51, Spring 2011.
  • Rev of Huia Short Stories 9 – Contemporary Māori Fiction”, Te Karaka 52, Summer 2011.
  • Rev of Ngā Tini Whetu – Navigating Māori Futures, Mason Durie. Te Karaka 53, Autumn 2012.
  • Rev of “Mana Tangata”, Eds. Tracey McIntosh and Malcolm Mulholland. Te Karaka 54, Winter 2012.
  • Rev of “New Flags Flying – Pacific Leadership.” Eds. Ian Johnstone rāua ko Michael Powles. Te Karaka 57, Winter 2013.
  • Rev of “The Story of a Treaty.” Claudia Orange. Te Karaka 58, Winter 2013.
  • Rev of “Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis.” Ed. Max Rashbrooke. Te Karaka 59, Spring 2013.
  • Rev of “Ngā Mahi: the pathway to the stars.” Jason Hartley. Te Karaka 61, Autumn 2014.
  • Rev of “Ko te Whenua te Utu – Land is the Price: Essays on Māori History, Land and Politics.” M.P.K. Sorrenson. Te Karaka 62, Winter 2014.
  • Rev of “waha / mouth.” Hinemoana Baker. Te Karaka 63, Spring 2014.
  • Rev of “Spoonbill 101,” by Rangi Faith, Te Karaka 64, Summer 2014.
  • Rev of “Paikea: The Life of I.L.G. Sutherland,” by Oliver Sutherland. Landfall online reviews, http://www.landfallreview.com/2014_05_01_archive.html
  • Rev of “Matters of the Heart,” by Angela Wanhalla. Landfall 228, November 2014.
  • Rev of “Huia Short Stories 11: Contemporary Māori Fiction”, Huia Publishers 2015, Te Karaka 68, Summer 2015.
  • Rev of “KŪPAPA: The bitter legacy of Māori alliances with the Crown,” by Ron Crosby, Te Karaka 68, Summer 2015.
  • Rev “Te Whiti o Rongomai and the Resistance of Parihaka,” by Dan Keenan, Te Karaka 69, Autumn 2016.
  • Rev “The First Migration: Māori Origins 300BC-AD1450,” by Atholl Anderson. Te Karaka 71, Spring 2016.
  • Rev “The Great War For New Zealand: Waikato 1800–2000,” by Vincent O’Malley. Te Karaka 72, Summer 2016.
  • Rev “After the Treaty: The settler state, race relations & the exercise of power in colonial New Zealand,” Eds. Brad Patterson et al. Te Karaka 73, Autumn 2017.
  • Rev “Stories on the Four Winds – Ngā Hau e Whā.” Eds. Brian and Robyn Bargh. Te Karaka, Te Karaka 73, Autumn 2017.
  • Rev “The Treaty On The Ground: Where we are headed, and why it matters,” Eds. Rachel Bell et al. Te Karaka 74, Winter 2017.
  • Rev “Black Marks On The White Page,” Eds. Witi Ihimaera and Tina Makareti. Te Karaka 75, Spring 2018.
  • Rev of “Tightrope,” by Selina Tusitala Marsh. Te Karaka 75, Spring 2018.
  • Rev of “Huia Short Stories 12 – Contemporary Māori Fiction.” Te Karaka 76, Summer 2018.
  • Rev “Tāngata Ngāi Tahu: People of Ngāi Tahu (Volume 1),” Eds. Helen Brown and Takerei Norton. Te Karaka 77, Autumn 2018.

    Other

  • Brown, Lorraine. "Gerry Te Kapa Coates: No Ordinary President." e.nz magazine 4.3 (2003): 4-5.
  • Packer, Ann. "How We Met." Dominion Post 16 Oct 2003: D:2.