First and foremost, to Creative New Zealand and the 2013 Michael King Fellowship.
This novel could not have been written without the help of the expert librarians at Christchurch City Libraries, who have advised and retrieved material from storage in a city that is yet to rebuild a fully functional central library.
Thank you, too, to the journalists present and past of The Press. And for detailed information, thanks to Trish Allen, Dr Mike Beard, Rev. Jim Consedine, John Dodgshun, David Gregory, Al MacDuff, Lisa Mackay, Phil May, Leonida Miller, Rod Naish, James Norcliffe, Steve Parker, Susannah Poole, Ursula Poole, Victor Rolton (HRNZ), Morrin Rout, Dr Dame Margaret Sparrow, Hugh Wilson and Dr John Wilson.
Thanks, also, to my publisher, Harriet Allan, and the staff at Penguin Random House New Zealand, and to Anna Rogers, for her skilful editing.
And, as always, to Doug Hood.