Vernon Albert Small (born 18 July 1954, England) is a New Zealand journalist and chess International Master (IM).

Previously a journalist for Fairfax Media, Small worked as a press secretary to Cabinet minister David Parker from 2017 to 2023.

[citation needed] He was awarded a PhD in English Literature from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) in 1985.

[4] During the period of the Sixth Labour Government, from 2017 to 2023, he worked as a senior press secretary to Cabinet minister David Parker.

[9][10] He has defeated a number of strong players, including Jonathan Mestel, Eugenio Torre and Oscar Panno.