Hira Hunapo was raised in Auckland. She has 25 years of experience and knowledge in youth, social and community work and is fully qualified as a therapeutic counselor. In later life she entered the field of community resource development, policy analysis and development and strategic planning. Hunapo has also supported political campaigns with NZ First in 1996 and then Maori Party from 2004 to today.
Hunapo is also an established artist, designer and freelance writer who has written articles on social issues for magazines and newspapers. In 2011 her short story Path of a Healer, which was based on her own life, was a finalist in the Best Short Story written in English category in the Pikihuia short story competition.
Biographical sources
- http://www.booksellers.co.nz/book-news/trade-news/pikihuia-short-story-finalists-announced 15 November 2016
- Huia Short Stories 9. Huia Publishers, 2011.
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https://hirahunapo2016.wordpress.com/ 15 November 2016
Fiction
- "Path of a Healer." Huia Short Stories 9. Huia Publishers, 2011.
Non-fiction
- "Path of a Healer." Huia Short Stories 9. Huia Publishers, 2011.