John Daly-Peoples

John Daly-Peoples is an Auckland based arts critic and correspondent. He is the arts writer for the weekly financial journal, National Business Review.

He has worked in a number of arts-related areas as writer, teacher, consultant, curator and administrator. He has Bachelors degrees in Planning and Art History, and a Teaching Diploma.

He has been a secondary school art teacher and was a Teaching Fellow at the Town Planning Department of Auckland University from 1979 to 1981, specialising in Energy Planning and Planning for LPG & CNG.

As a planner he provided expert information on LPG & CNG insatllations as well as historical preservation.

As the arts writer for National Business Review he covers a range of the arts – visual art, opera, theatre, dance and music.

He has worked with several companies including Wilkins and Davies, Air New Zealand, Mazda and Team McMillan BMW He curates the Team McMillan BMW Art Awards as well as commissioning artist to work on BMW bonnets for charity auctions.

In his works with Air New Zealand he developed an exhibitions programme in the Domestic and International Koru Lounges of major New Zealand artists as well as annual exhibitions of art school student work.

He has curated a number of other exhibitions including the official New Zealand entry in the Valparaiso Biennale (1987, International Poster Exhibition (1988), Elam 1890 - 1990, (Auckland Museum 1990), From Here to There, a touring exhibition of Pacific Art to Australia, Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Niue funded by CNZ (1997), Toi O Manukau, Works from the Manukau City Art Collection, Fisher Art Gallery (2000), Seen Recently, Work from the Wallace Arts Trust. with exhibitions at Northart and Waiheke Community Art Gallery (2013).

For several years he has been a member of the Eden Arts community art group, which has initiated a number of successful and continuing art activities including Artists in Eden, The Mt Eden Literary Festival and the Mt Eden Young Artists Award.

He has been the lead judge for the Eden Arts, Arts Schools Awards simce 2010.

He has been a member of the Northern Regional Arts Council (1990–1992) and the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand (1998–2001) as well as chairing the Screen Innovation Fund.

He was the Director of the Auckland Society of Arts (1981–1987), the Arts Service Manager for Manukau City Council (1993–2003) and the Manager, Arts and Culture (Central) for Auckland Council (2011 - 2012).

He has written extensively on the arts including the centennial history Elam 1890-1990.

In 1990 he was awarded the 1990 Commemoration Medal for his services to art and literature and was Arts Columnist of the year in the Qantas Media Awards of 1999.