David is a local author and journalist, having lived in Grey Lynn since returning from Paris, France, in 1979. He has been a journalist and reported on Pacific issues for more than 60 years and retired as professor of Pacific journalism in 2020.

He is currently deputy chair of the Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN).

All his books have been written in Grey Lynn. In his recently published Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior (Little Island Press Ltd), he tells the story of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior and the evacuation of nuclear refugees from Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands and 40 years later the challenge of climate "refugees", in the aftermath of the sabotage by French secret agents on 10 July 1985.

David will talk about his experiences on board the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior and in reporting French colonialism in the Pacific. The event is part of #EcoFest 2026.

https://littleisland.nz/books/eyes-fire