The Tale of the ANZAC Tortoise

Matthew and Marama are playing in their back garden when they spot a hole in the hedge. Crawling through, they discover a tortoise with an epic story of soldiers, nurses, war, sacrifice, and kindness. 

Shona Riddell has been a professional writer and journalist for over 15 years. Her articles have been published in the New Zealand Herald, the Listener, and the Sunday Star-Times, among others, and she has worked as a writer/editor for TVNZ, ACP (now Bauer) Media, and Trade Me. Shona lives in Wellington with her husband and two daughters.

Matt Gauldie was New Zealand’s official Defence Force artist for 11 years, one of just a few artists ever to be selected for this prestigious role. Matt is also an award-winning artist. He has exhibited his work publicly through dozens of solo and group exhibitions for almost 20 years, covering themes ranging from rural New Zealand to Maoritanga to Wellington’s nightlife. Over the years he has also been commissioned to paint portraits of notable figures, including former Wellington mayor Mark Blumsky, governor general Jerry Mateparae, former governor general Anand Satyanand, and the governor of Bamyan, Habiba Sarobi.