Mike Ponder

Mike Ponder, a NZ author and painter, now living in Queensland Australia, has had a varied career. During his quarter century of professional painting he has exhibited widely throughout New Zealand and internationally and produced two books of his works. Forestry, wine and olive oil have also played an important role in Mike's career. He has forestry interests in the Marlborough Sounds and in 1987 Mike and his wife Di purchased some land on the outskirts of Blenheim and planted their first olives and grapes the following year. When Ponder Estate was sold in 2002 they had a national and international reputation for their wines, and were known as pioneers in the development of the olive oil industry in NZ. And now Mike has turned his hand to fiction writing and Random House Australia is proudly publishing his foray into thriller writing.