Paul Brooker was born in Rarotonga, the Cook Islands in 1956 and was educated at Victoria University of Wellington and then Oxford University, where he gained an MPhil and DPhil. He then taught political science at Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He became semi-retired in 2008 but continued publishing until fully retired in 2012. Since then he has still published an occasional book or chapter, such as the first edition of Rational Leadership.
Margaret Hayward was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. She was a journalist before becoming Private Secretary to NZ Prime Minister Norman Kirk and then wrote his biography. Following his death, she held managerial positions in the media, health, accountancy and farm machinery sectors. After an MBA, she lectured in business and later gained a PhD in Leadership. She has contributed to various books and academic journals, become an international rose judge and written several books on the genus rosa.
