Oliver Duff (28 May 1883 – 2 March 1967) was a New Zealand writer and editor. In 1939 he was founding editor of the ''

New Zealand Listener The ''New Zealand Listener'' is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, f ...

'', a widely read magazine with a national monopoly on publishing radio and television programs.

Biography

Duff was born in Waitahuna Gully, a gold mining town in

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

. He received his tertiary education at

and Canterbury Universities. At the age of 18 he volunteered for the

South African war The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

and on his return he won a scholarship to study for the Presbyterian ministry from the

Synod of Otago and Southland The Synod of Otago and Southland is a synod of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ). Originally independent, the Synod merged with the northern Presbyterian church in 1901 to form the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. ...

. Influenced by writers such as Emerson and

Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and hi ...

he dropped out and became a journalist. He worked on a number of papers including the ''Sun'' in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, ''

The Timaru Herald ''The Timaru Herald'' is a daily provincial newspaper serving the Timaru, South Canterbury and North Otago districts of New Zealand. The current audited daily circulation is about 14,500 copies, with a readership of about 31,000 people. The pap ...

'' (as editor), ''

The Press ''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...

'' in Christchurch, as editorial assistant (under Michael Cormac Keane) then editor. At ''The Press'' he worked with writers such as

Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of Det ...

M. H. Holcroft Montague Harry "Monte" Holcroft (14 May 1902 – 24 September 1993) was a New Zealand essayist and novelist. His 18½ years editing the New Zealand Listener "confirmed the ''Listener'' as a unique institution at the centre of New Zealand's c ...

and

Walter D'Arcy Cresswell Walter D'Arcy Cresswell (22 January 1896 – 21 February 1960) was a New Zealand poet, journalist and writer. Life and career Cresswell was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, to Hannah (née Reese) and Walter Joseph Cresswell, a solicitor. His e ...

. He resigned over his coverage of the

Christchurch tramway Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River ...

strike, which the owners thought too sympathetic to the unions. While he was editor of the ''North Canterbury Gazette'' in

Rangiora Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the 30th largest urba ...

, he contested the electorate in the as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

candidate. In 1938,

Joe Heenan Sir Joseph William Allan Heenan (17 January 1888 – 11 October 1951) was a New Zealand law draftsman, senior public servant, administrator and writer. He was born in Greymouth, New Zealand, on 17 January 1888. Heenan was awarded the King Ge ...

, under-secretary of internal affairs, appointed him editor for the forthcoming centennial publications. His contribution was ''New Zealand Now''. On 12 October 1908, at

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, he married Jessie Barclay. They had three sons and a daughter, but divorced in 1937. As Jess Whitworth she published an

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

novel, ''Otago Interval'' in 1950. Their son

Roger Duff Roger Shepherd Duff (11 July 1912 – 30 October 1978) was a New Zealand ethnologist and museum director. Biography Duff was born in Invercargill, New Zealand in 1912. He is the son of Oliver Duff founding editor of the New Zealand Listener, and ...

(1912–1978) became an

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

and director of the Canterbury Museum. Their daughter

Alison Duff Alison Stirling Duff (married name Salter, 7 July 1914 – 19 March 2000) was a New Zealand sculptor, potter and teacher. Family Born in Invercargill in 1914, she was the daughter of Jessie Barclay and Oliver Duff, writer and foundation editor o ...

(1914–2000) was a sculptor. Their son Gowan Duff (Pat), a forestry scientist, was father of novelist

Alan Duff Alan Duff (born 26 October 1950) is a New Zealand novelist and newspaper columnist. He is best known as the author of the novel ''Once Were Warriors'' (1990), which was made into a film of the same name in 1994. Biography Alan Duff was bor ...

. Oliver Duff remarried in 1946, to Ngaire Asquith Shankland, shortly before his retirement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duff, Oliver New Zealand editors New Zealand magazine editors 1883 births 1967 deaths People from Otago New Zealand military personnel of the Second Boer War New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election 20th-century New Zealand journalists