Published & Broadcast Work since 2000.

Shadow of the Boyd,    HarperCollins, 2010. (Junior Novel)

In November 1809, the sailing ship Boyd is cutting through the Tasman Sea on her way to New Zealand. On board are George, a Maori youth on his way home to the Bay of Islands, and Thomas Davidson, an apprentice sailor on his first voyage.

The two become friends, of a sort, but their friendship will soon be stretched to breaking point. George is suddenly taken ill, and can barely walk when he is ordered on deck to help furl the sails. He refuses, and is hauled before the captain for punishment. As Thomas watches his friend?s brutal flogging, he is shocked by the violence - little does he know that George?s revenge will be swift and terrible.

In a powerful story from our colonial past, the bitter clash of two cultures from the point of view of a young boy who survived the infamous massacre of the Boyd. A handful of Pakeha were left alive, and it is their enthralling story which unfolds in this classic adventure.

Diana Menefy enjoys researching history and then bringing it alive for readers. For this book she has explored the journeys of the Boyd and the City of Edinburgh; pored over maps and sketches of Cape Town, Sydney, Whangaroa, and Valparaiso to see how they looked in 1809 and read a myriad of books and diaries to discover what life was really like for the sailors, soldiers and convicts at that time. (HarperCollins, 2010)

Nonfiction:

2010 Lunch with a Southern Giant Petrel. Learning Media, School Journal Pt1.
2009 Portrait of an Early Settler in Crest to Crest, Wily Publications, Christchurch.
2009 A Foal is Born. Learning Media, School Journal Pt1.
2008 Getting of the Ground. Learning Media Choices.
2008 KAPIA New Zealand Kauri Gum, Jadepress.
2005 Cecil Woods ? Speeding at 13kph. Learning Media Choices.
            Photographs for Sun Lyoung Kim?s story Becoming Kiwi, Learning Media.
2004 Commissioned work for Teacher Handouts for Learning Media.
2002: Eucalypts: Trees of the Future, NZ Geographic, NZ Geographic Ltd. Auckland (article co-written with Warren Judd).
        Sounds All Around, Learning Media (reader for USA).
        Bicycles Then, Bicycles Now, Learning Media (reader for USA).
2001: Whangarei Hospital: A Century of Service 1901-2001. Northland Health.
2000: A Story to Tell: The Process of Writing for Children, in Talespinner, Issue No 9, May 2000, Christchurch College of Education.

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Kapia New Zealand Kauri Gum (2009)
This book takes the story of kauri gum from the tree to jewellery. It includes its early uses, by both Maori and Europeans, the dealers and industries, as well as different types and examples of natural and fake inclusions. It is a concise book ideal for the tourist market.






Pounamu: New Zealand Jade (1995) has been translated into Japanese and sales have reached over 10,000 copies. A reviewer describes it as "a concise and very readable book covering all aspects of New Zealand jade from the chemical composition of nephrite, Maori mythology and traditional designs, through to the intricacy of modern design and carving."
Christine Endean FGA, Jewellery Time.





Hukerenui...in the beginning (1989) "encompasses the early history of Hukerenui, with a brief look at the adjacent settlements - Puhipuhi, Taheroa, Tapuhi and Whakapara. An absorbing story it covers the hardships of the early settlers, their determination to have their children educated and their slow but sure progress towards prosperity. The great stories about the early days included in the book will be a joy to descendents of the first settlers...but they will also be of interest to the general reader."
Thelma Hall, Northern Advocate.




Kamo: The Story of a Village (1995)
"Diana Menefy has researched the origins and background of Kamo thoroughly. She has been fortunate in having access to old records and family letters to an unusual degree... Kamo, from its earliest days up to about when the mine flooded for the last time, lives again, works and plays in her account. Kamo is a splendid edition to the growing documentation of Northland's history."
Ivo Davey, Northern Advocate.