Melt

This novel is an urgent, crushing observation of adaptation and exclusion amidst preparation to settle Antarctica as climate destruction starts to bite. New Zealand in 2048, gateway to the melting continent, is thrust into the centre of the climate crises. Vai Shuster, the Advocate of a tiny, broken island, must find a place for her community in a world that’s not sure it needs the poor.

Author Biography

Jeff has worked in local government and iwi engagement for almost thirty years. He has provided secretariat services to mana whenua forums comprising 19 iwi / hapu groups in Auckland, programme manged the master planning and advocacy of 500ha urban expansion, worked as a manager of transport strategy and acting manager of urban design and development.
The idea for this manuscript came from a presentation by a climate scientist Jeff heard while studying at Cambridge University for a Masters in Land Economy in 2010. Part of the presentation included a discussion of the difficulty to engage the public on climate science because people had trouble thinking about apocalyptic failure. At one level Jeff’s novel seeks to be a bridge between science and the public’s willingness to believe – story telling as the collaborative bridge.