[1] It broadened its scope and became the New Zealand Society of Authors in 1994,[2] under the presidency of writer Philip Temple.
The Otago Branch was established in Dunedin in 1982 under the leadership of writer and artist Christodoulos Moisa, who had moved to there from Auckland.
The branch used to meet once a month in the staffroom of the Hocken Building, where Moisa worked as an artist on the Ban Nadi Archeological project of the Otago University Department of Anthropology.
[citation needed] The Canterbury Branch was established in Christchurch in 1984 under the leadership of Moisa, who had moved to the city from Dunedin.
Among its first members were Margaret Mahy, Gavin Bishop, Elsie Locke, Michael Harlow and Glenn Busch.