Marlene Joan Bennetts née Anderson

Ngāti Awa, Te Āti Awa

1938 -



Marlene was born in Westport, the oldest of five children born to Roy and Beatrice Anderson née Chambers. She was educated at fifteen different schools during the course of her father’s itinerant sawmilling work. She worked as a secretary in Pahiatua for two and a half years and in 1957 married Neville (Hec) Bennetts. In 1987 they moved from Auckland to the small former coal mining village of Blackball on the West Coast of the South Island, and later moved to Christchurch. When Marlene was thirty-five she began the first of two writing courses completed with the International Correspondence School in Wellington; in 1979 she was awarded the Correspondence School’s Diploma for Short Story Writing and a Certificate of Merit for literary work in the 1979 Golden Anniversary Writing Competition. For five years Marlene attended short story and poetry writing courses tutored by Hilda Phillips in the Epsom Community Centre and became a member of Titirangi Poets. In 1992 she completed a Children’s Features Correspondence Course based in Manchester, England.

Marlene writes poetry, short stories, children’s writing, and non-fiction articles and publications. She has published three anthologies of poetry and short stories and has written a number of children’s books. She has published stories in school journals and other New Zealand publications and anthologies including Kiwi Kids Magazine, NZ Woman’s Weekly, Tailings, Jabberwocky (Allsorts), and School Magazine (Australia). Since 1984 her haiku have been regularly published in Mainichi Daily News, in Japan. She also publishes poetry, short stories and book reviews in Tower Poetry (Canada), Dandelion Arts Magazine and Skin (England), Voices (Israel), and in various publications in the USA. Eleven of her stories have been translated into Māori and published by Māori Publications at Waikato University.

Her stories “Pet”, “Ghost House” (1993), “Over the Back” (August 1996), “The Impossible Swim” and “Goldpanning Day” have been broadcast on the Ears Programme on National Radio. In January 1986 some of her poems were recorded by the Eagle Rock recording company in Los Angeles, USA. Over the last seventeen years Marlene has received many awards for her writing. In 1990, 1991 and 1992 she was awarded the New Zealand Penwoman’s Club Nesta Barnes Memorial Trophy for most poems published overseas in those years. In 1992 she was an award winner in the poetry section of the Whitireia Community Polytechnic Poetry competition for her haiku “Microwave Living”. She was a winner of the Summer 1992 Iliad Literary Awards Program of Verses in Michigan and was a runner-up in the Haiku Section and Poetry Section of the 1990 International Poetry Competition. She was awarded the Barhill Trophy (International Writers’ Workshop) for the New Zealand poet who has published most poems overseas in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994. In 1993 she was highly commended in the International Writers’ Workshop New Zealand Children’s Story Competition, and she has been a finalist in Te Kaunihera Māori Award for best short story in English by a previously published Māori writer in Nga Tohu Pakiwaitara a Huia/Huia Short Story Awards in 1995, 1997, and 2003. In 1984 she was awarded second place for her poem “Food for all” by World Harvest and this was published in the anthology Poets for Africa. In 1987 she was highly commended for her short story “Rock Bottom” by the Australian Writers World. She was awarded honourable mention in the Iliad Press Haiku Poetry Competition in 1989 and won first prize in the 1995 Lorna Anker Trophy (WEA) for poetry. In 1990 one of her haiku went into an anthology called Frosted Rails in a New Zealand Poetry Society competition and in the same year Marlene won the Loyolla Rowe Memorial Cup (International Writers Workshop) for the most poems published in New Zealand and overseas. In 1991 she was highly commended for her poem “Backcasting” by Australian Writers World, and in 1992 won third place for her children’s story “The Feathered Cloak” in the International Writers Workshop. In 1993 she won the Dolores Boccanera Poetry Prize, England, for her poem “Needlepoint Love” which was subsequently published by Fern Publications. In 1994 she received the Publishers Choice Award for Haiku by Watermark Press, USA for her haiku “Inspiration”. In 1994 she got honourable mention in the Iliad Literary Awards Programme for her poem “Christmas Gift” and received the USA National Authors’ Registry 1996 Literary Award for Literary Excellence for the same poem. In 1995 she received the Editors Choice Award in Verses Magazine, USA, for her haiku “Summer Opal Moon”. In the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature.

In 1985 Marlene was invited to join the New Zealand Penwomen’s Club and in 1987 joined the International Writers Group. She is a member of Titirangi Poets, Westland Writers, Te Ha, Nga Puna Waihanga, WEA Writers, and the South Island Writers Association. She has been a member of Gippsland Writers (Australia) and Writers World (Australia). She has been a New Zealand Book Council writer-in-schools for the last nine years and has visited numerous schools throughout New Zealand. For three consecutive years she tutored poetry workshops at Hauraki Plains College in Ngatea and took poetry workshops at Hauraki Primary School. She was invited to run a writers workshop on self-publishing by the Christchurch Library for “Books & More” week in 1999. Marlene writes: “Throughout the years, the urge has never left me to write down the stories I had been told as a child. For as long as I could remember, I had heard my parents and grandparents recounting their pioneering hardships and the ways they overcame them. The more I identified with my European and Māori heritage, the stronger grew the desire to write about this.”



Biographical sources

  • Correspondence and interviews with Marlene in 1992, 27 Sept. 1996, 1 Apr. 2004, 15 Aug. 2007, and Jan. 2008.

    Children's literature

  • Ko Te Ra O Te Aihe. Ngā pikitia [illus.] Trish Brady. Kai Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Ngawaiata Turnbull. Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications, Unit, Regional Services Division, U of Waikato, School of Education, [1977].
  • "Dolphin Day." "Starlets’ Corner." Christchurch Star 13 Jan. 1989. 1. Rpt. in KiwiKids: A New Zealand Magazine for Children Feb. 1991: 24-25.
  • A story about Lisa Williams’ desire to see dolphins while sailing on catamaran Tiger Lily 2 at Paihia.
  • "Gold Panning Day." Kiwi Kids’ Magazine 1989. Rpt. as a separate publication Gold Panning Day. Māori trans. Moana Turnbull. Illus. Trish Brady. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • The narrator tells of a day gold panning with his family.
  • "The Apprenticeship." Illus. John Griffiths. School Journal 4.1 (1993): 2-8.
  • Bennetts writes of the apprenticeship at sea of her great-great-great-grandfather, James Heberlely; this story is based on an account from his journals.
  • "Willy Weka." Jabberwocky: The Magazine for Children 9.3 (1994): 14-15. Rpt. in Māori in Willy Te Weka. Māori trans. Molly Turnbull. Illus. Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • The narrator tells of her special friendship with a weka who would come to her house to be fed each morning.
  • "The Feathered Cloak." Sun Days & Moon Nights: New Zealand stories for children. Comp. Rosalyn Barnett. Illus. Trish Bowles. Wellington, N.Z.: Mallinson Rendel, 1994. 38-43. Rpt. in Māori as Te Kākahu Kahurangi. . I Whakamāori [Māori trans] Ngawaiata Turnbull. Nga Pikitia [Illus.] Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994. Rpt. in Te Ao Mārama: Contemporary Māori Writing for Children. Comp. and ed. Witi Ihimaera. Contributing ed. Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden and D. S. Long. Vol. 4: Te Ara o Te Hau: The Path of the Wind. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1994. 298-300.
  • This story was based on the Māori Queen’s visit to Omaka Marae for the Ngā Puna Waihanga Hui in 1992. The story describes how wheelchair-bound Mihi longed to participate in the performance for the Māori Queen.
  • Sycrobyte. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Molly Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994
  • Translated into Māori language text with English text in the middle. The story of Sycrobyte, a space machine alien in a computer game, whose Microchip Godmother grants him two wishes. This story was awarded third place in the International Writers competition in 1992. It has been accepted for publication in the Australian School Journal. This story has also been placed on the Christchurch Library website, 28 July 2007. http://library.Christchurch.org.nz/Kids/ChildrensAuthors/Stories/MarleneBennetts.asp
  • "Pet." Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • Māori language text with English translation inserted in the centre of the book. The narrator recounts her experiences getting the recalcitrant family pet cow to the milk shed each afternoon.
  • Gold Panning Day. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Moana Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Trish Brady. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • Māori language text with enclosed English translation. The young narrator tells of a day gold panning with her family
  • Te Kākahu Kahurangi. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Ngawaiata Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • Māori language text with English translation entitled "The Feathered Cloak" enclosed. This is the story of wheelchair-bound Mihi who sang and wore a special feathered cloak for the visit of Dame Te-Ata-I-Rangai Kahu’s visit to her marae.
  • Chuddy Te Taniwha Awhina. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Moana Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Glen Kemara. Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit, Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • "The Whitebait Story." School Journal 2.3 (1996): 45. Rpt. in Māori as "Te Hua Poraka." Nā Arihia Smith I whakamāori [Māori trans.] He Kohikohinga: Tekau Ma Whā. Wellington, N.Z.: Learning Media, 1995. 6-7
  • Te Pounamu Makutu. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Trish Brady. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Ngawaiata Turnbull. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1996.
  • Māori language text with supplementary English translation entitled "The Magic Greenstone." The story of Keri Walters and the greenstone pendant she finds by the river bank.
  • Ko Wai Kei Te Mataku I Te Taniwha. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Trish Brady. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Moana Turnbull. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1996.
  • Māori language text with supplementary English translation included. The English language version is entitled "Who’s Afraid of the Taniwha?". When Kahu goes and stays with his grandparents his cousins tease him by pretending that a taniwha lives under the bridge of a nearby river.
  • "The Whitebait Game: A Story From The 1940s." Illus. Kirsten Roberts. School Journal 2.3 (1996): 45-48.
  • The narrator recalls a story from her childhood when the children at Granite Creek made her swallow live whitebait.
  • The Impossible Swim. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2001.
  • The Impossible Swim. Illus. Trish Bowles. Chrischurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2002.
  • Hector to the Rescue. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, Mermaids, [1996]. Illustrated by Al Nisbet. Translated into Māori as Ko Kaihea Te Aihe. Nā Anthony Ellison ngā pikitia [illus.]. Te Whanganui-a-Tara [Wellington], N.Z.: Te Pou Taki Kōrero, 2004.
  • A children’s picture book based on the adventures of a dolphin named Hector who lives in Akaroa Harbour. This is the first of a series of children’s environmental "fact-fiction" books. Learning Media recorded this story in Māori as Ko Kaihea Te Aihe on cassette tape in 2004.
  • Skalaska’s New Home. Illus. Trish Bowles. Chrischurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2005.
  • Waikaka Grows Up. Illus. Trish Bowles. Chrischurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006.
  • No Ordinary Flower Girl. Illus. Trish Bowles. Birkenhead, Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 2006.
  • Also put on C.D. and read on N.Z. National Radio’s Storytime.
  • "The Tale of the Gecko." School Journal 3.1(2006): 20
  • No ordinary flowergirl. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 2006.
  • Illustrated by Trish Bowles.
  • Where’s Titi? Illus. Trish Bowles. Chrischurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2007.
  • Where's Titi? Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay Pub., c2007.
  • Illustrated Trish Bowles.
  • No ordinary Frog. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2008.
  • Fifth of the children’s environmental series.
  • Rāhui rangers. Christchurch, N.Z. : Emjay Pub., c2008.
  • Illustrated by Ann McCaw.
  • One of the dambusters : a true story. North Shore, N.Z. : Raupo, c2008.
  • Illustrated Trish Bowles.
  • Spirit valley. Christchurch, N.Z. : Emjay Pub., 2009.
  • Hinamoki's stormy adventure. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay Pub., c2010.
  • Illustrated by Trish Bowles.
  • Beyond the zig zag. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay Pub., 2010
  • Sawdust trail. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay Publishing, 2014.
  • Illustrated by Trish Bowles.
  • The forgotten dambuster. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay Publishing, 2016.
  • Illustrated by Trish Bowles.
  • Fiction

  • Love Looks Not With the Eyes.
  • This story won third prize in the Harlequin Book Distributors Mills & Boon Romantic Short Story Writing Competition in 1986.
  • "Saturday’s Stove Cleaning Day." Bedsitter. Ed. O. Teugels. London: O. Teugels, 1987. n.pag. Rpt. in Something To Be Said For Runaway Buses: A Collection of Stories by Westland Writers. Ed. Peter Hooper. Ahaura, N.Z.: Longacres, 1989. 16-19. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 69-73.
  • In this story based on a family reminiscence, Bennetts writes of Walter Webb Patterson’s ploy to obtain money for the races from his long-suffering wife.
  • "Rock Bottom." Australian Writers World, 1987. No further details.
  • Based on a true story of a girl whose life took a downward spiral when, after her mother’s death, her father begins to abuse her. Bennetts writes of her gradual road to recovery. Bennetts received an Australian Writers’ World Commended award for this short story on 26 Nov. 1987.
  • "We needed to Grow Close Again." Waitemata Senior Citizen’s Magazine 1987. No details. Rpt. in NZ Woman’s Weekly Sept. 5 1988: 46-47.
  • Bennetts writes of how she and her husband re-established their relationship after a family tragedy and years of growing apart.
  • "Birchville." Something To Be Said For Runaway Buses: A Collection of Stories by Westland Writers. Ed. Peter Hooper. Ahaura, N.Z.: Longacres, 1989. 11-15.
  • A story based on Marlene and Hector Bennett’s move from Auckland to a ramshackle house on the West Coast and their gradual adaptation to life on the Coast.
  • "Unexpected Lodgers." WomanScript Magazine Issue 0 (Autumn/Winter 1990): 32-33. Rpt. in CommonTatta: Quarterly Literary Journal 1.3 (1993): 67-69. Rpt. as "Unexpected Lodger." Coastlines: A Collection of Stories and Poems by Westland Writers. Ed. Yvonne Davison. Illus. Peter D. Balloch, Daphne Simpson and Tricia Pope. Greymouth, N.Z.: Coastline, 1995. 53-55. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 95-101.
  • Recently bereaved Elsie finds new meaning in life after the unexpected and abrupt arrival of pregnant Tania. Marlene received a Highly Commended Merit Award Certificate for "Unexpected Visitors" in the Writers’ World "New Direction" Contest, Surfers Paradise, Australia, 1989.
  • "Acceptance." Short Stories ‘90. Surfers Paradise, Australia: Writers’ World, 1990. No details.
  • This story received a Special Mention Merit Certificate in Writers’ World "Happy New Year" Contest, Australia, 1990. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 9-13.
  • Wing High, Gooftah. Illus. Julie McCormack. Auckland, N.Z.: Shortland, 1995.
  • A children’s novel about kea smuggling in a New Zealand national park.
  • "All in a Day’s Work." Huia Short Stories 1995. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 1995. 69-75. Rpt. in Coastlines: A Collection of Stories and Poems by Westland Writers. Ed. Yvonne Davison. Illus. Peter D. Balloch, Daphne Simpson and Tricia Pope. Greymouth, N.Z.: Coastline Books, 1995. 12-14. Rpt. in Millenium Anthology 2 (2000): 53-61. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, N.Z., 2006. 15-22.
  • A story set amidst the friendships, superstitions and dangers of the coal mining world. This story was a finalist in the Huia Publishers Māori Writers’ short story competitions of 1995.
  • "The Intruder." Coastlines: A Collection of Stories and Poems by Westland Writers. Ed. Yvonne Davison. Illus. Peter D. Balloch, Daphne Simpson and Tricia Pope. Greymouth: Coastline, 1995. 32-33.
  • Des Ramsay’s discontent with the neighbour’s dog droppings on his front lawn is lessened when the dog saves Des from an attacker.
  • "The Notebook." Huia Short Stories 1997. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 1997. 27-35. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 83-90.
  • The journal of a woman struggling with drug addiction, broken relationships and despair.
  • The Aroha Pendant. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 1999.
  • "The Bottle Stack." Huia Short Stories 5. Contemporary Māori Fiction Huia Short Stories. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 2003. 1-8. Rpt. in Mana: The Maori News Magazine For All New Zealanders 54 (2003): 108-111. Rpt. in Dandelion Student Magazine (Nov. 2003). No further details. Rpt. in Relaxing With English Novels: International Collection of Adult Short Stories. UK: Fern, 2006. 9-15. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 75-82.
  • This was a finalist in the Huia Publisers best short story in English competition.
  • "The Stairs." Dandelion Arts Magazine 35 (2004): 32-33. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 91-93.
  • "Blue Sky and Greenstone." Dandelion Arts Magazine 34 (2004): 22-24. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 31-34.
  • "Missing Link." Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 45-49. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 41 (2007): 24-27.
  • "Alone." Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 23-29.
  • "Dawn Offering." Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 35-37.
  • "Jigsaw." Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 39-43.
  • "Morning After." Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 51-54.
  • "Night Song." Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 55-61.
  • "Quacked out." Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 63-67.
  • "Urban Refugees." Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 103-115.
  • Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006.
  • Marlene states that this collection of stories is "all about life" that "probes into the heart and atmosphere of early and modern day New Zealand."
  • Non-fiction

  • "Transformation of Governor Grey’s Retreat." Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Magazine Spring Issue (1987): 11-12.
  • Bennetts contrasts her two visits to Governor Grey’s Mansion House on Kawau Island in 1969 and 1985.
  • "Heritage Hokitika Mirrors PATA thoughts." New Zealand Travel Scene 2.2 (1989): 20.
  • Bennetts writes of the vision of Heritage Hokitika - a group of Hokitika residents who plan to save and restore historic buildings and sites in Hokitika.
  • "Coalmining Town." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 11-12. Rpt. as "Blackball: Coalmining Town Full of History." West of the Alps 1 (1992): n.pag.
  • Bennetts provides a short history of Blackball from its early gold mining days in the 1860s.
  • "Blackball’s Mining Chimneys." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 17.
  • A short description of the old coal mining ventilation chimneys still visible in the beech forest by Blackball Creek and a short quotation from the Grey River Argus of 4 December 1900 recounting the mining death of George Green.
  • "Notown Valley." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 25.
  • Bennetts writes of the old West Coast gold mining town Notown located east of Greymouth.
  • "Hotel Hilton." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 39-40.
  • An anecdotal history of Blackball’s Dominion Hotel.
  • "How It All Began." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 46-55.
  • A descriptive account of moving home from Titirangi, Auckland, to a ramshackle cottage in Blackball.
  • "The Fishermen’s Dog." New Zealand Fisherman 4.9 (1992): 23.
  • A collection of anecdotal tales about a fox terrier-bitsa cross called Jigsaw who was well-known amongst the fishermen of Greymouth’s Blaketown wharf.
  • "Waiting List." Older and Bolder 8 April 2004: 16.
  • "Topped Off." Older and Bolder 4 June 2004. No further details.
  • Other

  • "Unrewarded Care." N. Z. Woman’s Weekly 29 Oct. 1984.
  • Written under the name M. J. B. Bennetts writes a tribute to her sister-in-law who, after years of caring for her aged parents, managed to build up new financial support when her parents died. This was Bennetts’ first published work.
  • "Measure of a Māori." N. Z. Herald 1986. No details.
  • Bennetts comments on Māori political representation through the Māori seats and states that she has chosen to be on the general roll.
  • Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990.
  • A collection of twenty-four poems and five non-fiction articles dealing with West Coast landscapes, bird and animal life, historical accounts of gold and coal mining days and Bennett’s response to returning to her childhood home.
  • Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991.
  • Co-authored with Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Designed as a companion volume to Return to the Coast, this anthology of thirty-seven poems, is co-written by Bennetts and historian and non-fiction author Rona Adshead. It is composed of three parts entitled: “West Coast Images”, “Wellspring” and “Steening”. It concludes with a Postscript.
  • Pet. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit, Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • Te Kemu Hou. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Ngawaiata Turnbull. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994
  • Bilingual text in Māori and English of a story from Bennett’s childhood at Granite Creek sawmill camp.
  • Te Whare Kehua. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Ngawaiata Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Val Hata. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994
  • Bilingual text in Māori and English of a story from Bennett’s childhood at Granite Creek sawmill camp.
  • "Pet." Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • A story from Bennett’s childhood about a pet cow. This booklet has been translated into Māori with the English version inserted in the middle. The story was broadcast on New Zealand National Radio in 1991.
  • Willy Te Weka. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Molly Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • A story of a weka who visited the narrator’s home each morning to be fed. Māori translation of Bennetts’ story "Willy Weka."
  • Te Kakahu Kahurangi. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Ngawaiata Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • The Māori version of Bennett’s story "The Feathered Cloak" which was based on the Māori Queen’s visit to Omaka Marae for the Nga Puna Waihanga hui of 1992. This story describes how wheelchair-bound Mihi longed to participate in the performance for the Māori Queen.
  • Sycrobyte. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Molly Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Kevin Brown. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • The story of Sycrobyte, a space machine alien in a computer game, whose Microchip Godmother grants him two wishes. Bilingual text in Māori and English. This story was awarded third place in the International Writers competition in 1992.
  • Gold Panning Day. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Moana Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Trish Brady.Kopeopeo, Whakatane: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • The narrator tells of a day gold panning with his family. Bilingual text in Māori and English.
  • Chuddy Te Taniwha Awhina. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Moana Turnbull. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Glen Kemara. Kopeopeo, Whakatane: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1994.
  • Bilingual text in Māori and English of Chuddy the friendly dragon who loved chewing bubble gum.
  • Te Pounamu Makutu. Ngā Pikitia [illus.] Trish Brady. I Whakamāori [Māori trans.] Ngawaiata Turnbull. Kopeopeo, Whakatane, N.Z.: Māori Publications Unit Regional Services Division, U of Waikato School of Education, 1996.
  • This is a story of time-travel back into traditional Māori society when Keri Walters found a greenstone pendant. Māori text with English language insert.
  • Interview with Kirsty Gillespie. Live 5. Canterbury Television. 2 Nov. 1999.
  • Interview with Anabel Newman. Pegaus Post 22 Nov. 1999.
  • Interviews and poetry reading with Ruth Todd. Plains FM. 1997-2001.
  • Interview with Amanda Breukelar. "Author Born in Story-telling." Ashburton Guardian 17 May 2001.
  • Interview by Dan McKirdy. "Bennetts’ Books Bringing Joy to Local People." Southern Mail 14 August 2002.
  • "Interviews with NZ Childrens Authors." Christchurch City Library website. 21 Aug. 2002. http://library.Christchurch.org.nz/Kids/ChildrensAuthors/MarleneBennetts.asp
  • Interview with Francesca Eldridge. "Children’s Book Aims to Spread Understanding of Special Needs." Observer July 2002.
  • Interview with Dan McKirdy. "Recognition for Local Author." Southern Mail 20 Aug. 2003.
  • Beyond the Coast. Illus. Trish Bowles. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004.
  • This third book of poetry completes Bennetts’ trilogy of poetry collections.
  • "Big Grey." Write Away Magazine www.writeaway.co.usa 2004. No further details.
  • "Dance in the Storms." Write Away Magazine www.writeaway.co.usa 2004. No further details.
  • Caboodle: Poems For Children. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2005.
  • Co-authored with Deborah Macowan.
  • Poetry

  • Blackball Sentry.
  • "Progress." In "Queen Street, 1984." N. Z. Woman’s Weekly 5 November 1984.
  • Published under the name M. J. B. Bennetts observes that she was inspired to write this poem after returning to Queen Street after a fourteen-year absence and being struck by its changes and modernisation. In the poem she links progress to the pollution of the street
  • "Lost Grandeur Returned." Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Newsletter 42 (1984):13.
  • Bennetts writes: "I have written [this poem] in appreciation of the wonderful change that has been made by the caring people and members of the Hauraki Maritime Park Board, in restoring the Mansion House and Kawau Island back to the serenity of days gone by. It was a pleasure to me and my family to revisit the island after some fifteen years and find this beautiful transformation. Our first visit left us very depressed at the degradation Kawau was suffering then. The poem tells of my impressions on the two visits."
  • “Just Mum.” In “Mum’s the word.” NZ Woman’s Weekly 30 Sept. 1985.
  • Published under the name M. J. B. In Bennetts’ first published poem she reflects on how her childhood dreams of fame and wealth ended with becoming ‘Just Mum’. In the accompanying letter Bennetts writes that this poem came out of a discussion with her children on their aspirations for the future. She realised that their dreams were very similar to her own, and she wrote this poem the following morning. It was read by radio announcer Marlene Burrows and recorded and broadcast on Quips & Quills Radio Programme, NZ in 1989.
  • "Microwave Living." [First line] In "Haiku In English." Mainichi Daily News 15 Sep 1985: (B) (9). Rpt. in Carrousel Magazine (USA), 1986. Rpt. in "Japanese Haiku" in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 52. Rpt. in Poetism website, usa . www.poetism.com. Jan 2004.
  • Winner of the Poetism monthly haiku competition in 2004.
  • "Raindrops." Poets For Africa: An International Anthology For Hunger Relief. Ed. Susann Flammang. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: The Family of God, 1986. 202.
  • The effect of rain on a drought-parched landscape.
  • "Food For All." Poets For Africa. [Las Vegas, USA]: World Harvest Society, 1986.
  • A strong discourse on the stark contrast between rich and poor nations and the underlying greed that lies behind these discrepancies. This poem won second prize in the World Harvest Society competition in the Poets For Africa appeal and was taped in the USA for the Radio Programme "Heart to Heart.". It was awarded second place in the Family of God International Poetry Contest [Las Vegas, Nevada], in November 1986.
  • "Children’s Tender Minds." [First line] Rhythm-And-Rhyme. Auckland, N.Z.: A Barhil Collective Publication, (1986): 45. Rpt. in "Haiku: Spring Quarter Editor’s Choice Awards." Verses: A Quarterly Journal of Entertaining Poetry and Prose 6.2 (1994): 9.
  • A haiku emphasising children’s need for love in order to function properly.
  • "Truth." Rhythm-And-Rhyme. Auckland, N.Z.: A Barhil Collective Publication, 1986. 27. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 14. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 40 (2006): 40.
  • The poet writes of the demythologising impact of truth which she likens to "a sharp knife/That guts life/Cutting to maturity."
  • "Christmas Day." American Poetry Anthology 7.1 (1987): 192. Includes introduction, index and biographical sketches by John Frost and the staff of the American Poetry Association. Rpt. in "Poet’s Corner." West Coast Times 17 Oct. 1988. Rpt. in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 24.
  • The poet writes about Christmas in the New Zealand landscape and its deeper spiritual implications. This poem won third prize in the American Poetry Association competition and was taped by Rock Eagle Studios in the USA for radio broadcast.
  • "Kauri Giant." Tower Poetry. 36.2 (1987): 30. Rpt. in The Gippsland Writer 2.4 (1988): 51.
  • The poet describes the fate of the great kauri tree - ignominiously felled, "debarked and sawn/into timber", and later carved into "a collector’s delight". This poem was awarded "Special Mention" Merit Award Certificate in the Poetry World Competition, (Australia) 1987.
  • "Water-Lily Buds." [First line] In "Haiku in English." Mainichi Daily News Sunday 31 May 1987: B9.
  • The poet writes of the irony of perfect water-lily blooms emerging out of "murky depths".
  • "Bush Glen." Waitemata Parks & Reserves Magazine 1987. No further details. Rpt. in Tower Poetry 36.2 (1987): 30.
  • The poet writes how the breeze amongst the ferns and the flight of fantails in the bush placate and soothe her "city-bruised senses." This poem was taped for radio by Rock Eagle Studios in the USA in 1988.
  • "Haiku & Snippetts." Waitemata Senior Citizen’s Magazine 1987. No further details.
  • The haiku is "Children’s Tender Minds" which is annotated above. The "Snippets" section is a number of haiku, tanka and naga-uta written by Bennetts while under Hilda Phillips’ tutorage in Epsom.
  • "Dry Dock Companions." Tower Magazine, Canada 1987. No further details. Rpt. in PPTA Journal Term 3 (1988): 35. Rpt. in "Writers’ corner." The Saturday Express [Marlborough]11 June 1988: 21. Rpt. in West Coast Times 22 Aug. 1988. Rpt. in Voices, Israel, 1988. No further details. Rpt. in Dandelion - Arts Magazine 8 (1989): 14. Rpt. in Alive: Official Journal of the Auckland Provincial Council of Senior Citizens Clubs and Kindred Associations Inc. 10.6 (1990): 28. Rpt. in Seeds On A Summer Wind: International Writers Workshop Anthology. 1991. Rpt. in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 34. Rpt. in Verses: A Quarterly Journal of Entertaining Poetry and Prose 5.4 (1993): 33. Rpt. in Dangerous Landscapes: An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry. Comp. Rangi Faith. Auckland, N.Z.: Longman Paul, 1994. 8.
  • The poet writes of the decline of a naval man retired from active service and confined to a state house with only a "black and white gull" for company. This poem, paying tribute to one of Bennetts’ neighbours in Mount Roskill, received an "Honourable Mention" and fourth place in the Iliad Press [Michigan] Fall 1992 Awards Programme.
  • "Haiku." The Tenth Year of The Titirangi Poets. Ed. Mari Hunt. Mount Eden, Auckland, N.Z.: Writers & Artists, 1987. 3.
  • In the first of three haiku, "Today’s worries flee", the poet writes of the dissipation of worry into "yesterday’s achievements/And tomorrow’s hopes." In the second haiku, "No one is someone", she writes about issues of identity and in "Tui’s bell-like call"’, she focuses on the peaceful call of a tui in the kowhai trees.
  • "Just Me." The Titirangi Poets Invite The Cherry Hill Poets. Ed. Mari Hunt. Auckland, N.Z.: Writers’ and Artists’ Press, 1987. 7. Rpt. in West Coast Times Tuesday 2 Aug. 1988. 9. Rpt. as "The Dance In The Still Place." U.S.A. Poetry Society Anthology 1989. No further details. Rpt. in WomanScript 1 (1990): 9. Rpt. in Demon Lover. Ed. Mari Hunt. Illus. Monique Endt. Titirangi, Auckland, N.Z.: Writers and Artists Publishers, 1989. n.pag. Rpt. as "Dance in Stillness." in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 39. Rpt. in Dandelion - Arts Magazine 10 (1991): 10.
  • The speaker ‘luxuriate[s]’ in some quiet hours awake in the middle of the night.
  • "Flowering Clematis: West Coast." Candelabrum Poetry Magazine 6.1&2 (1988): 33. Rpt. as "Flowering Clematis on the Coast." in Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 10.
  • A reflection on the brief blooming of clematis on West Coast native trees.
  • "Scott Homestead." The Titirangi Poets 7 (1988): 4. Illus. Monique Endt. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 35.
  • A description of the setting surrounding Scott Homestead at dawn.
  • "Waterlilies." "Haiku." Mainichi Daily News Japan, 1 Feb. 1988.
  • "Unfurled Lacy Ferns." [First Line] "Haiku In English." Mainichi Daily News [Japan] 13 Mar. 1988: (B) (17). Rpt. in "Japanese Haiku" in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 52.
  • The poet writes of the loving caresses of the opening ferns.
  • "I Saw a Daisy." [First Line] "Haiku In English." Mainichi Daily News Japan, Sun. 3 July, 1988. (B) (9). Rpt. in "Japanese Haiku" in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 52.
  • A poem on the symbiotic love relationship of a daisy and bee.
  • "Skande Heathe Cottage." Dandelion Poetry & Prose 7 (1988): 15.
  • A poem about the poet’s 19th century Blackball cottage.
  • "Glue Sniffer." Dandelion Poetry & Prose. England: Sol/Fern Publications. 7 (Spring/Summer 1988): 15. Rpt. in "Poet’s Corner." West Coast Times 11 Aug. 1988. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 41.
  • The poet writes of her efforts to help a glue sniffer.
  • "Mouse In The Flood." In "Poet’s Corner." West Coast Times 3 Oct. 1988: 10.
  • The adventures of a mouse trapped on a piece of wood sailing down a flooded river.
  • "One Flood After Another." In "Poet’s Corner." West Coast Times 10 Oct. 1988. Rpt. in Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 23.
  • The speaker bewails the devastating effects of the flooding Grey River on her household treasures and carpets.
  • "Some Snippets." In "Writers’ Corner" Saturday Express [Marlborough] 11 June 1988: 21.
  • A haiku on the unpredictable nature of fear.
  • "Time." In “Writers’ Corner” Saturday Express [Marlborough] 11 June 1988: 21.
  • In this tanka the poet wonders if "one day / time and words will unite."
  • "Children." In “Writers’ Corner” Saturday Express [Marlborough] 11 June 1988:21.
  • In this naga-uga the poet contrasts the refreshing perspectives of children with her own weary state.
  • "Paparoa National Park." West Coast Times Tuesday 2 Aug. 1988. 9.
  • A tribute to the natural wonders of the National Park and the poet’s sense of "insignificance/besides majestic beauty."
  • "On The Way To Hokitika." West Coast Times 22 Aug. 1988. Rpt. in Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 24.
  • A description of the incessant pounding of waves on the West Coast shoreline and the huge deposits of driftwood and circling gulls.
  • "Blackball." In "Writers’ Corner." The Saturday Express 11 June 1988: 21. Rpt. in "Writers’ Corner." The Saturday Express [Marlborough] 18 June 1988: 21. Rpt. in West Coast Times Friday 15 July 1988: 11. Rpt. in Pause Magazine National Poetry Foundation, England, 1988. No further details. Rpt. in Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 13. Rpt. in Wintersweet: A Silver Jubilee Anthology (1963-1988). Ed. Dorothy Parkes. 8. By Members of Penwomen’s Poetry Workshop. Penwomen’s Club New Zealand. No further details. Rpt. in Candelabrum Poetry Magazine 8.3 (1995): 12. Rpt in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 11.
  • A short portrayal of Blackball at dawn with its divergent character of disrepair and fresh paint.
  • "The Goldpanner." West Coast Times Friday 15 July 1988: 11. Rpt. in Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 28 – 29.
  • The hard toil of the old goldpanner is cruelly subverted when his bottle of gold slips into a whirlpool.
  • "Potikohua Limestone Caves (Fox River, South Island, N.Z.)." "Poet’s Corner." West Coast Times 1988. No further details. Rpt. in Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 34-35. Rpt. in Tower Poetry. 40.1 (1991): 8.
  • The poet writes of the timeless nature and abstract appearance of the limestone caves at the Fox river. This poem was highly commended in Writers World [Australia] "New Directions" Poetry contest in November 1989.
  • "Paparoa National Park." ibid. 33. Rpt. in "Poet’s Corner." West Coast Times Tuesday 2 Aug. 1988: 9.
  • The poet describes the natural wonders of Paparoa National Park.
  • "Big Grey." In “Writers’ Corner” Saturday Express [Marlborough] 11 June 1988: 21. Rpt. in Poetry Kanto [Kanto Poetry Center](Japan) 6 (1989):18. In English with Japanese translation. Rpt. in Tower Poetry 37.1 (1988): 23. Rpt. in Spin: Katherine Mansfield: Centennial Issue. Wadestown, Wellington, N.Z.: The Poetry Society. 8 (1988): 46. Rpt. in Return to the Coast. Ed. by Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 21. Rpt. in School Journal 4.1 (1991): 48. Rpt. in True Poetry Magazine (Mar. 2004). No further details. Rpt. in Write Away Magazine www.writeaway.co.usa 2004. No further details. Rpt. in Woven Acceptance: Collection of Short Stories. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2006. 116.
  • The poet writes of the course of the Grey River running from the ‘shingle flats’ down to the ‘irresistible sea’.
  • "Leafless Willows Catch." [First line] In "Haiku In English." Mainichi Daily News Monday 30 Oct. 1989. (B) (9).
  • A reflection on the delicate tracery of the willow branches against a "grey tie-dyed sky" in winter.
  • "When Will The Bus Arrive?" Tower 38.1 (1989): 36. Rpt. in Womanscript Magazine 1989. Rpt. in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 50. Rpt. in Voices Voices Voices Israel 1991: Poetry from Israel and abroad 19 (1991): 83. Rpt. in Dandelion (1991). No further details.
  • An old woman likens her impending death to "waiting for a bus" which is "Sometimes...late / and / sometimes, ...arrives / on time." This poem was runner-up in the 1991 Dandelion Magazine Competition, England.
  • "Refugee Child." Tower 38.2 (1989): 12.
  • A portrayal of the bleak hand-to-mouth existence of a refugee child.
  • "Comforting Mountains." Dandelion - Arts Magazine 8 (1989): 2. Rpt. in Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 44. Rpt. in Awaken To A Dream. USA: Watermark, 1991. No further details.
  • In this poem the speaker seeks solace in the Southern Alps. The poem was awarded Publisher’s Choice by the Watermark Press Judging Committee and went into the publishing anthology Awaking to a Dream.
  • "Autumn Lady." Dandelion Magazine England, 1989. No further details. Rpt. in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 28. Rpt. in Creative Arts & Science Anthology. USA, 1991. Rpt. in The Titirangi Poets 16 (1992): 4.
  • The poet likens the discontent of Autumn to Mary, mother of Jesus, and all womankind who have felt used, worn and wearied by life.
  • "Who’s Afraid of Thunderstorms?" Australian School Journal 1989. Rpt. in School Journal 3.3 (1991): 53. Rpt. in Orbit School Magazine. [Australia] 81.2 (Mar 1996): 52. Rpt. in 100 N.Z. Poems for Children. Auckland, N.Z.: Random, 1999. 72.
  • In this child’s perspective of a thunderstorm the crashing sounds are likened to "Hundreds of zebras/running an African plain".
  • "Day’s End." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 43.
  • The poet writes of the serenity of nightfall.
  • "Thousands of Stars." [First Line] Frosted Rails: A Selection Of Poems And Haiku From The 1990 New Zealand Poetry Society Competition. Ed. Harry Ricketts and Jeanette Stace. Palmerston North, N.Z.: Nagare, 1990. 46.
  • This haiku likens the myriad of stars to a ‘lighted city’; it was commended in the 1990 New Zealand Poetry Society’s International Poetry Competition.
  • "At Autumn’s Fall." WomanScript Magazine 0 (1990): 35.
  • This poem was initially written under the title ‘Janus’.
  • "A Coaster." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 9.
  • Childhood memories of the West Coast heighten the poet’s desire to return there one day.
  • "Sentinel of the Swamp." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 10.
  • A poem about the white heron which persistently lingers over "blackwater swampland."
  • "Miner’s Cottage." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 15.
  • The poet describes an old ramshackle cottage from the mining era.
  • "Who Will Remind Us?" Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 19. Rpt. in Dangerous Landscapes: An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry. Comp. Rangi Faith. Auckland, N.Z.: Longman Paul, 1994. 3. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 59.
  • The poet notes the vanishing icons of the coal mining era and likens the "[p]assing chimney waiting near demise" to "veteran soldiers on parade."
  • "West Coast Rains." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 22. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford.Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 113.
  • A poem contrasting the monotony of the endless coastal rain with the "colourful greeting" of a canary "warmed by blazing open-fire."
  • "One Flood after Another." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 27.
  • "Lurking Eel (Notown)." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford.Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 26 – 27.
  • The sentiments of an eel watching a gold panner.
  • "Old Rata." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 31.
  • A portrayal of a dead rata tree which has been invaded by a "parasite vine of rata."
  • "Rahu Forest (Lewis Pass Highway)." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 36. Rpt. in "Poet’s Corner." West Coast Times 25 July 1988. No further details. Rpt. in "Poet’s Corner." West Coast Times 11 Aug. 1988. Rpt. in Dandelion - Arts Magazine 8 (1989): 14.
  • A descriptive account of the "reverential atmosphere" of the Rahu Forest.
  • "The Stag." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 38. Rpt. in The Titirangi Poets in Gold. Ed. Mari Hunt. Illus. Monique Endt. Titirangi, Auckland, N.Z.: Writers and Artists Publishers, [1991]: n.pag.
  • The poet writes of a stag in captivity.
  • "Time Out (Linda’s Stained Glass Window On Hilton Stairway.)" Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 41.
  • In this poem the poet describes the first glimpse of sunlight shining through Linda Evans’ stained glass window in Blackballs’ Dominion Hotel.
  • "Woman in the Painting (Hanging In The Bar Room Of The Blackball Hilton)." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 42. Rpt. in Dandelion - Arts Magazine 9 (1990): 10.
  • The speaker ponders on the identity of the nude model in a painting hanging in the Blackball Hilton.
  • "Return To The Coast." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 45. Rpt. in Dangerous Landscapes: An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry. Comp. Rangi Faith. Auckland, N.Z.: Longman Paul, 1994. 23.
  • The poet recalls the West Coast landscape and her longing to return there.
  • "Waikato River, New Zealand." The National Library of Poetry. USA Anthology Best Poets of 1990s. No further details. Rpt. in Dandelion - Arts Magazine 12 (1992): 14. Rpt. as "The River." Creative Arts & Science Anthology. USA, 1991. No further details. Rpt. as "Waikato River." CommonTatta: Quarterly Literary Journal 1.4 (1993): 20. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 26.
  • A portrait of the Waikato River emerging forth from the mountain snows "unspotted" and gradually during her course to the sea gets sullied and polluted.
  • "Road Toll." ibid. 13. Rpt. in Another Place in Time. Watermark Press USA Anthology, 1991. No further details. Rpt. in Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Eds. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 47. Rpt. in Letters from the South. USA: Cader Press, 2002. No further details.
  • In this poem a grieving woman is likened to Mary mourning the loss of Jesus at the Crucifixion. This poem was awarded a publisher’s choice in the United States Watermark Press competition of 1991 and was taped in the USA for a programme entitled "Best Poets of 1990s."
  • "Blackball Sentry." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 11. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 16.
  • The poet writes of the old Hilton Hotel in Blackball and recalls its former history.
  • "Grey River Bargemen of Old." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 16.
  • This poem recalls the former days of bargemen bringing supplies to gold miners in Brunner.
  • "Allure of the Coast." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 17.
  • A call for the natural beauty of the West Coast landscape to be kept free from developers.
  • "Buller Gorge Epic." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 19.
  • A poem recalling the era of horse-driven coach travel alongside the Buller Gorge.
  • "Young Pinetree." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 25.
  • A description of the dazzling view of sunrise on the dewdrops on a pine tree.
  • "Lost Youth." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 27. Rpt. in WomanScript 2.2 (1991): 36. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 14 (1994): 2.
  • The speaker considers the fluctuating "passion of youth" in comparison to the vibrant energy of the wind, sea and waterfalls. This was the winning poem of the 1993 Delores Bocanegra Poetry Prize by the British literary magazine Dandelion Publications.
  • "The Promise." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 30. Rpt. in WomanScript 2.2 (1991): 36.
  • The poet observes that after the mists and rain of winter, hope and joy come with the first signs of Spring.
  • "Time Frame." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 37.
  • The poet ponders on the curious coexistence of sophisticated modern day speed travel and satellite communication with "ever increasing / threats of war - / and ever diminishing / harmony."
  • "Moments." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 38.
  • The poet hopes for a time when the need to speak and the time to speak will combine.
  • "Happiness." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 41.
  • Using the imagery of music, the poet writes of the vicissitudes of life’s heights and depths.
  • "Half A Book." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 54.
  • The concluding poem in Bennett and Adshead’s combined anthology does not name its poet but states: "Strictly anonymous (We always blame each other)."
  • "Reflections." WomanScript 2.2 (1991): 36. Rpt. in Creative Arts & Science Anthology. USA, 1991. Rpt. in CommonTatta: Quarterly Literary Journal 1.4 (1993). 20-22. Rpt. in Poet 7.1 (1996): 22.
  • The speaker reminisces back to a vibrant time in her past when she lived along the coastline and interacted with the natural world and children. This memory is strongly contrasted with "the emptiness / of childless years. /...[and]the silence / of empty rooms."
  • "Winter Hush." Dandelion Magazine. England, 1991. No further details.
  • The poet is transfixed into the world of the winter landscape and is brought back to reality with the chiming of a clock.. This was in a competition plus "Dividing Shadows".
  • "Eye of the Storm." Creative Arts & Science Anthology. USA, 1991: 3. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 16 (1994): 10. Rpt. as "Eye of the Storm." Tower Poetry Society Anthology 47.2 (1998): 10.
  • This poem was awarded an Accomplishment of Merit Award by Creative Arts & Science Enterprises, USA In the midst of the storm the speaker’s thoughts are toward a loved one.
  • "Imprisoned." Creative Arts & Science Anthology. USA, 1991. No further details.
  • The entrapped world of an old woman suffering alzheimer’s disease and longing to be released.
  • "Omaio Bay Yesterdays." 40th Anniversary 1951-1991. Ed. Joanna Lawson. Spec. issue of Tower 40.2 (1991): 10.
  • Also published under the name "Oh, to Be Again" [first line]. The speaker longs nostalgically to be back in the past walking with children along the beach, and walking in the natural world far from the loneliness and empty rooms of the present.
  • "Back Casting." The Titirangi Poets 16 (1992). Rpt. in CommonTatta: Quarterly Literary Journal 1.4 (1993): 20-22. Rpt. in Voices. Israel: An Annual Anthology Of Poetry From Israel And Abroad. Ed. Mark L Levinson. (1994). No further details. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 54.
  • An old man sitting on a veranda recalls the old tribal days of warfare, kumara cultivation and plentiful inanga (whitebait), which have all become a memory. This poem was awarded a Highly Commended Merit Award Certificate in Writers World (Australia) "Lucky ‘90 Year of Literacy" Contest.
  • "Haiku." Tidepool 9: A Magazine of Haiku and Short Poetry. Ed. Herb Barrett. Hamilton, Ontario: Hamilton Haiku, 1992. 49.
  • Six haiku by Bennetts are published here: "Cascading waters" is a reflection on the movement of the water likened to a dancer; "Black and white seagulls": the seagulls are likened to "stringless kites" "hovering above ship’s wake"; "Woven round grass stalks" is a description of the spider nest; "Arched backed dolphins": the leaping dolphins are likened to dancers in "water ballet"; "Summer opal moon": on the movement of the rays of the earth across the sky and earth; and "Mist-skirted mountain": a tribute to the mountain standing guard over "sun-dancing grass plains."
  • "Black and White Seagulls." [First line]. "Haiku in English." Mainichi Daily News. [Tokyo, Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers] Sat. 6 June, 1992: (B) (11).
  • The poet likens the seagulls flying up above the ship’s wake to "soaring stringless kites."
  • "Summer Silence." [Handi-scope Christmas newsletter] Joy To The World. [Newsletter of Handi-scope - West Coast Cancer society pamphlet. Handinews] 1993. n. pag. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine (1996). n.pag.
  • A description of a coal mining town in summer, stilled before the fall of rain. This poem was runner up in the Jean Ruddenklau poetry award judged by Rob Jackaman.
  • "Christmas Gift." Joy To The World. [Christmas church pamphlet?] 1993. n.pag. Rpt. in Aura: The Titirangi Poets. 19 (1996): 6-7. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 10.
  • The speaker relives the pain of a son’s departure when she receives a letter with his hand-writing on the envelope. Bennetts was awarded the 1995 President’s Award for Literary Excellence for this poem by the directors of the National Authors Registry [USA]. She also received Honourable Mention by the Iliad Press The National Authors Registry by independent judges of the Fall 1994 Iliad Literary Awards Programme.
  • "Interval." The Titirangi Poets with Art Deco. Ed. Mari Hunt. Titirangi, Auckland, N.Z.: Writers & Artists, Publishers, 1993. 4. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 13 (1993): 5.
  • The poet portrays a brief moment of solitude amidst the bushclad hills with its "ear-drumming silence" before returning back to "the microchip world."
  • "Recession." The Titirangi Poets with Art Deco. Ed. Mari Hunt. Titirangi, Auckland, N.Z.: Writers & Artists, Publishers, 1993. 5.
  • The poet writes of the implications of recession using the imagery of childbirth.
  • "Violets." Tower Poetry Society 42.1 (1993): 21.
  • A reflection on the enduring fragrance of the violet flower contrasting with its short blooming. The publication misspelt Marlene’s surname as Burrows.
  • "Miner’s Widow." Return to the Coast. Ed. Rona Adshead. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1990. 16. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 15 (1994): 23. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 50-51.
  • A poem on the struggles facing a miner’s widow.
  • "Who will remind us?" Dangerous Landscapes: An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry. Comp. Rangi Faith. Auckland, N.Z.: Longman Paul, 1994. 3. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 59.
  • "At Season’s Turn." Dandelion Arts Magazine 17 (1995): 15.
  • The poet reflects on the change from autumn to winter; she observes the last lingering trace of flowers, bees and the "swoosh/of a wood-pigeon’s wings."
  • "Armchair Travel." Dandelion - Arts Magazine 18 (1995): 14.
  • The poet longs to walk into the view of a photograph of a Welsh Castle—the land of her ancestors—but acknowledges her residence in New Zealand is far from there.
  • "Summer Opal Moon." [First line] "Haiku: Editor’s Choice Awards." Verses: A Quarterly Journal of Entertaining Poetry and Prose 7.1 (1995): 24.
  • A portrayal of the shining rays of the "Summer opal moon" and its shadow play with the earth. Bennetts was awarded the Quarterly Editor’s Choice Award by the editorial staff of the Verses Magazine and the National Authors Registry in recognition of literary excellence for this haiku (March, 1995).
  • "Needle-point Love." WEA Writers’ Fellowship Poems On The Theme Of Joy (July 1995): 8. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 19 (1996): 10.
  • When the speaker misses the sound of children in her house she looks at her daughter’s needlework and the melancholy disappears. Bennetts was awarded the WEA Writers’ Fellowship Lorna Anker Trophy by the South Island Writers Association for this poem in 1995, and received Honourable Mention by Iliad Press USA in their 1993 Competition. This poem was also runner-up in New Zealand Arthritis Foundation Poetry Competition, March 2004. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 11.
  • "Happiness." 1985. Dandelion Arts Magazine. (1995). n.pag.
  • A discourse on the elusive quality of happiness.
  • "The Dolphin." The Student Magazine 11 (1995): 10.
  • "Postcard Reflections." WEA Writers’ Fellowship. Poems on the theme of Reflections (May 1996): n.pag.
  • The poet ponders on the Welsh landscape of her forbears and remembers the vast gulf between New Zealand and Wales. This poem was highly commended in the 1996 Poetry Competition for the Lorna Anker Cup of the WEA Writers’ Society.
  • "Catlins Night Song." Dandelion Arts Magazine 22 (1997): 6. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 37.
  • "Music Is." Dandelion Arts Magazine 24 (1998): 10.
  • "Scented Remembrance." Dandelion Arts Magazine 25 (1999):19.
  • "Single Flight." Dandelion Arts Magazine 26 (1999): 10-11.
  • "Tailings." ibid. 30-31. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 52-53.
  • The poet writes of the Chinese gold miners and the tailings left by gold miners of the past.
  • "130 Years Later." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 11. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 12.
  • The poet notes that while the industry on its banks has changed, in 130 years the Grey River "has not been conquered... / yet."
  • "One Flood After Another." Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 27.
  • "Goldpanner." Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 54.
  • "Harmony." Dandelion Arts Magazine 27 (2000): 15.
  • "Summer Silence & Safe Moments." Candelabrum Poetry Magazine. Ed. Steve Elliot. 2000. No further details.
  • "Safe Place." Dandelion Arts Magazine 28 (2000): 22.
  • "Ananui Caves." 50 th Anniversary Edition. Spec. issue of Tower Poetry Society Anthology 50.1 (2001). No further details. Rpt. in The Student Magazine 5 (2002): 11. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 22. Rpt. in WAH 5 Magazine UK (2005). Rpt. in WAH4 Feature: Around The World. Place We As Writers Consider To Be Part Of What Motivates Us To Create . http://www.radiocad.karoo.net/wah4/Around-the-world/Around-the-world.htm. 8 Aug. 2007.
  • "Dance in the Stillness." N.Z. Poetry Society, 2001. No further details. Rpt. in www.poetism.com. Jan 2004.
  • "Needlepoint." Love Watermark Press Anthology. 2002. No further details.
  • Put onto a C.D.
  • "The Sparrow." Tower Poetry Society 51.2 (2002-03): 11.
  • "Seasonal Flashback." The Student Magazine 7 (2003): 28.
  • "Season’s End."Dandelion Arts Magazine 32 (2003): 9.
  • "Dorrie’s Cottage." The Student Magazine 6 (2003): 27. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine Feb. 2003. No further details. Rpt. in Tower Poetry Society Magazine 54.1 (2005): 14.
  • "Jewels." Dandelion Arts Magazine 33 (2003): 6. Rpt. in Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 56.
  • "Nightfall & Winter Hush." Write-Away-Poetry Magazine 24 (2004). No further details.
  • "Music is..." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 6.
  • "Discovery." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 8.
  • "Hope." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 9.
  • "Unseen Presence." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 12.
  • "Safe Moments." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 13.
  • "Dividing Shadows." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 15.
  • "Christmas Morning." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 16.
  • "Summer Silence." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 18.
  • "Autumn Picnic." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 20.
  • "Beyond the Coast." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 21.
  • "Unleashed Fury." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 24.
  • "Katikati Revisited." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 25.
  • "Winter’s End." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 27.
  • "Wishful Moments." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 28-29.
  • "Seasonal Flashback." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 30.
  • "Progress." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 31.
  • "Kauri Giant." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 32.
  • "Yesterday’s Grandeur." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 33.
  • "Erosion." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 36.
  • "Postcard Travel." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 38.
  • "The Sparrow." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 40.
  • "Tangiwai." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 43.
  • "Nola." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 42.
  • "Bag Lady." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 44.
  • "The Victim." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 45.
  • "Outdoors Man." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 47.
  • "Alzheimer Patient." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 48.
  • "Death Bed." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 49.
  • "Remembrance." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 52.
  • "Single Flight." Beyond the Coast. Christchurch, N.Z.: Emjay, 2004. 55.
  • "Anita." ibid. 46. Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 37 (2005): 10. Rpt. in The Student Magazine 14 (2007): 8.
  • "Soothing Moments." Dandelion Arts Magazine 36 (2005): 16.
  • "Intermission." The Student Magazine 9 (2005): 18.
  • "Hospital Poem 3." The Student Magazine 10 (2005): 27.
  • "The Dolphin Statue." The Student Magazine (Nov. 2005). No further details.
  • "Postcard Travel" Dandelion Arts Magazine 38 (2005): 11.
  • "Atarau Solitude." Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 11. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000. 15. Coastal Cornerstones: An Anthology. Ed. Rona Adshead and Marlene J. Bennetts. Illus. Cathy Fulford. Blackball, Greymouth, N.Z.: Emjay, 1991. 11. Rpt. in Blackball Beckons: A Selection of Poems From Blackball, Moonlight and Surrounding Districts. Illus. Meg Fulford. Blackball, Westland, N.Z.: Blackball History Group, 2000Rpt. in Dandelion Arts Magazine 40 (2006): 40.
  • The poet writes of the calming effects of the riverscape at Atarau.
  • "Aotearoa." ibid. 53. Rpt. in Students Magazine (England) March 2006. No further details.
  • "Refugee." Dandelion Arts Magazine 39 (2006): 14.
  • "Aotearoa." The Student Magazine 12 (2006): 12.
  • "Moments." Dandelion Arts Magazine 40 (2006): 40.
  • "Progree." Dandelion Arts Magazine 40 (2006): 40.
  • "Atarau Solitude." Dandelion Arts Magazine 40 (2006): 40.
  • "Orange Autumn Moon." [First line] wah5! haiku. Page two. 2005. http://www.radiocad.karoo.net/wah5/haiku/HaikuPage2.htm. 8 August 2007.
  • This haiku celebrates the illuminating effect of the moon above mountains. The haiku was runner-up in the 1989 N.Z. Poetry Society Poetry competition.
  • Sound recordings

  • "Huia." Recorded poem but not published.
  • Taped by Rock Eagle Studios in the USA for radio in 1988.
  • Te Huina raukura. Kahukura. (Kit) Te Whanganui-a-Tara [Wellington], Aotearoa, [N.Z.]: Te Pou Taki Kōrero, 2004.
  • This kit contains a teacher’s guide, 3 assessment texts, 20 readers and sound cassettes. Included in the written material and cassettes in te reo Māori is Marlene Bennetts’ Ko kaihea te aihe.

    Other

  • "A Rewarding Time For West Coast Writers." Greymouth Star 31 Aug. 1993.
  • "Blackball Woman Wins US Award For Poetry." Greymouth Star 15 Feb. 1991.
  • "Coast Poet Invited For Recognition in US." Greymouth Evening Star 24 July 1991.
  • "Contributions in Canty Recognised in Honours List, Queen’s Birthday." The Press 2 June, 2003.
  • Eldridge, Francesca. "Children’s Book Aims To Spread Understanding Of Special Needs." Christchurch Star 19 July 2002: D5.
  • "Poet Likely To Pay For Op." Sunday Star Times 9 May 2004: A14.
  • "Poetry Award to Blackball Writer." Greymouth Star 9 Dec. 1989.
  • Announcing that Bennett was the recipient of the Pen Women’s Club’s Nesta Barnes Memorial Award for poetry published overseas.
  • "Poetry Prize For Blackball Woman." Greymouth Star 20 Aug. 1993.
  • Reporting on Bennett being awarded the Delores Boccanera Poetry Prize for her poem "Lost Youth" by the British literary magazine Dandelion Publications.
  • "SI poets Win Awards." The Press 1 Oct. 1992: 14.
  • "String Of Success For Poet At Blackball." Greymouth Star 17 Dec. 1992.
  • Announcing Bennetts’ various literary successes in 1992.
  • "Whimsical Dolphin Story for Children." The Christchurch Mail 18 Mar. 1996: 3.
  • "Profile - Marlene J Bennetts." Chris Watkins. Allsorts 10.12 (1995): 27.
  • Reviews

    Beyond the Coast
  • McKirdy, Dan. "Exposing Emotions." Christchurch Mail 5 May 2004.
  • McLaughlan, Gordon, "Beyond the Coast." New Zealand Writers’ Magazine June 2004: 21.
  • "Books received." Dandelion Magazine 35 (2004). No details.
  • Coastal Cornerstones.
  • "Coast Anthology Launched." Greymouth Evening Star 15 Apr. 1991.
  • "Launch Tonight." Greymouth Evening Star 12 Apr 1991.
  • "Poetry Anthology." Press 13 Apr 1991.
  • S. G. "Different Poetry Styles, Yet Complementary." Grey Star 17 May 1991.
  • Simpson, Peter, Faith, Rangi, and Schuster, Danny. "Weekend Books." Press 30 May 1992: sup. 10.
  • "West Coast Theme To Poetry Collection." Greymouth Evening Star 9 Apr. 1991.
  • Hector to the Rescue
  • Williams, Defyd. The Press 26 Mar. 1996: 19.
  • Impossible Swim
  • Eldridge, Francesca. "Children’s Book Aims to Spread Understanding of Special Needs." Christchurch Star July 19 2002: D5.
  • McKirdy, Dan. "Bennetts’ Books Bringing Joy to Local Youngsters." Southern Mail 14 August 2002: 3.
  • No Ordinary Flowergirl
  • Agnew, Trevor. "Part of a Golden Age." The Press 18 Nov. 2006.
  • Bissland, Helen. No Ordinary Flower Girl. Southland Times 31 Mar. 2007: 7.
  • Gates, Charlie. "Author in Full Bloom." The Mail 27 Sept. 2006.
  • Gates, Charlie. "Winning Smile." The Mail 27 Sept. 2006.
  • Return to the Coast.
  • Faith, Rangi. "Poet’s Return to Coast." Press 7 July 1990: 28.
  • Hill, David. "NZ Creative Writing: Wild, Warm." Listener 3 Sept. 1990: 113.
  • JGM [J. Gonzalez-Marina] Dandelion - Arts Magazine 10 (1991): 30-31.
  • "New Book Launch At Fair." Industries Fair Paper 13 Feb. 1990.
  • ‘"Word Paintings" By Woman From Blackball.’ Greymouth Evening Star 16 Feb. 1990.
  • Something to Be Said For Runaway Buses.
  • P. M. "Important Addition To Coast Collection." Greymouth Evening Star 28 Feb. 1990.
  • The Aroha Pendant
  • Breukelaar, Amanda. "Author Born to Story-Telling." Ashburton Guardian 17 May 2001.
  • Hyland, Heather. "Second Chilren’s Novel for Bexley Grandmother." Magpies New Books, Sept 1999.
  • Kedian, Margaret (and others). "Reviews." Magpies:Talking About Books for Children 15.2 (2000): sup. 6-7.
  • Waikaka Grows Up
  • Morris, Nigel. "Marlene Bennetts – Being a Mudfish." Bay-Harbour News 15 Mar. 2006. 6-7.
  • Price, Anna. "Mudfish Seeks Young Friends." Christchurch Mail 8 Mar. 2006. 3.