BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Kiri Allan + Charlotte Glennie

Kiri Allan’s Go Hard or Go Home and Charlotte Glennie’s Every Second Counts are both honest and hard-hitting memoirs that begin with accidents that dramatically changed the course of their lives. This is a rare opportunity to hear from two women who have lived life at full speed. Chaired by Naomi Arnold.

Kiri Allan’s memoir, Go Hard or Go Home, opens with the July 2023 car crash in Wellington that led to her resignation from Cabinet and Parliament’s front bench. By the time of the crash, Allan had already endured a divorce, cancer treatment, intense public scrutiny, and mental health struggles. The crash became the public culmination of a period in which her personal and professional lives were under enormous strain. Go Hard or Go Home is a fearless memoir of ambition, disruption and survival in NZ politics – from the front bench to rock bottom – and beyond.

Charlotte Glennie’s memoir, Every Second Counts, opens with a near-fatal accident, which occurred when she was a fledgling journalist. Much of the memoir follows how she rebuilt her life and went on to become one of New Zealand’s most prominent foreign correspondents, reporting from across Asia on events such as the Indian Ocean tsunami and political upheavals. Her recovery is a story about resilience and making the best use of time during our one precious life on this planet. Every Second Counts: A story of deadlines, daring, danger, and what happens when you fall is fascinating and fast-paced memoir.

Kiri Allan

Kiritapu Allan is a lawyer, former cabinet minister and one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most recognisable political figures. Elected to Parliament in 2017, she held ministerial portfolios including Justice, Conservation and Emergency Management. She now works as a consultant and advisor. Go Hard or Go Home is her first book.

Charlotte Glennie

Charlotte Glennie is an accomplished journalist with more than two decades of broadcast and media experience, half of that spent working in Asia. She has worked with media organisations including the BBC, ABC and TVNZ, and her career highlights include New Zealand’s Supreme Award for Excellence in Television Journalism – recognising coverage of news in Asia, including the Indian Ocean tsunami; the New Zealand Government Special Service Medal for reporting in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami; and the Clarion Award for Radio Documentary of the Year – an ABC investigation into the impact of the war in Afghanistan on Australian soldiers and their families.

Naomi Arnold

Naomi Arnold is an award-winning Nelson journalist who has written for most New Zealand magazines and newspapers including New Zealand Geographic, North & South and The Listener. She occasionally contributes to international outlets including The Guardian and The Washington Post. She started her writing career at the Nelson Mail in 2009, where she wrote features for five years before becoming a freelance writer and author. She has written the critically acclaimed history of New Zealand astronomy, Southern Nights (HarperCollins), World of WearableArt: 30 Designers Tell Their Stories (Potton & Burton), and is co-author of Force of Nature, a history of Forest & Bird, with renowned Nelson author David Young (Potton & Burton). Her memoir about walking the length of New Zealand on Te Araroa, Northbound, was shortlisted for the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.