CRIME WRITING AND CONSERVATION
CRIME WRITING AND CONSERVATION
South Pacific Cut is the debut eco-crime novel from Matakana-based author, journalist, former biology teacher, and world champion adaptive sailor, Joshua McKenzie-Brown.
A Coastguard volunteer and ranger with Te Kohuroa Rewilding at Matheson Bay, Joshua draws on his deep conservation background to highlight one of the ocean's most complex criminal trades. We sat down with him to find out more.
What first inspired you to start writing, and how did this novel come to life?
Writing has always been my way of documenting the natural world. As a teenager snorkelling at Goat Island, I kept notebooks recording species, visibility, and weather conditions. That habit of observation became the foundation for storytelling, and eventually for writing a novel inspired by real environmental crime.
What drew you to this particular story or idea?
I wanted to contribute to ocean conservation in my own way by raising awareness. The shark fin trade is widely known, but the way it operates is complex. My story traces the chain of custody, from local crews working under exploitative conditions to export vessels waiting at the edge of international waters.
Can you give us a glimpse into the novel?
South Pacific Cut follows Leilani, a young New Zealander and newly qualified Ocean Enforcement Agency operative on her first assignment in Samoa. She infiltrates a shark finning operation, uncovering a system built on violence and coercion, while around her the rhythms of village life are tested by outside influence and change.
What do you hope readers take away from your work?
I want readers to see wildlife trafficking for what it is. It’s a multi-billion dollar illegal industry with devastating consequences for nature. Sharks, for example, are often feared, but are increasingly recognised as an essential part of the ecosystem and protected. A key threat to their survival is overfishing, driven by demand for fins and the systems that sustain it. If readers come away with a better understanding of that, then the story has done its job.
Now that your debut is out in the world, what comes next?
This is just the beginning. South Pacific Cut is the first in a series focused on eco-crime across the Pacific. Future books will explore the trade in manta ray gill plates, turtle shells, and giant clams. My next novel in progress, Solomon’s Dolphins, is set in the Solomon Islands and exposes the illegal capture and export of wild bottlenose dolphins for marine parks.
South Pacific Cut is available online in paperback and ebook formats, and can be ordered through bookstores and libraries nationwide.
solwarapublishing@gmail.com | 027 421 7598