John Daly-Peoples has worked in a number of arts related areas as a writer, teacher, consultant, curator and administrator. Over the past 40 years he has written extensively on the arts including the centennial history “Elam 1890-1990”. As NBR's arts writer, he covers a range of the arts – visual art, opera, theatre, dance, film and music. He has been the curator for the biannual Team McMillan BMW Art Awards as well as commissioning artists to work on BMW bonnets for charity auctions. He was a member of the Northern Regional Arts Council (1990-1992) and the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand (1998–2001). For a number of years he was the director of the Auckland Society of Arts. He has worked as the arts manager for Manukau City Council and more recently manager, arts and culture (central) for Auckland Council. He has been judge of several awards including the Windsor and Newton International Art Award, the Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards, Mazda Emerging Artists Awards and the Glaister Ennor Art Awards for Auckland art school masters students. 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.
