Alan Duff is a novelist, columnist, advocate and businessperson. His first published novel, Once Were Warriors, was a critical and commercial success, and was subsequently made into an award-winning feature film. Alan has published several novels and has written for radio and as a newspaper columnist. Duff has been an outspoken commentator on Maori affairs and was the driving force behind the New Zealand Books in Homes scheme, which aims to make books available to underprivileged children at minimal cost.