Dawn Raid is the first book by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith, for which she received Best New Author at the New Zealand Book Awards and a NZ Storylines Notable Book Award. Pauline's heritage is Samoan, Tuvaluan, Scottish and Irish. Her work is heavily influenced by her experiences growing up in the 1970s, her roles as a teacher and university educator, her passion for civil rights and justice, and her deep interest in uplifting NZ Māori culture. She lives in a small seaside town at the bottom of the South Island of Aotearoa-New Zealand.

Mat Hunkin is an illustrator and comics artist from New Zealand. His day job is in the film industry