Ron Crosby holds a Bachelor of Law (Honours) from the University of Auckland and spent the first 35 years of his career working as a barrister in the New Zealand courts (including twice in the Privy Council). He has since acted as a commissioner hearing a wide range of cases under the Resource Management Act, as a part-time member of the Waitangi Tribunal (since 2011), and as a mediator and arbitrator.
While still practising law, over a period of five years he researched and wrote his first book, The Musket Wars: A History of Inter-iwi Conflict (1999, republished in 2001 and 2012). This was followed by Gilbert Mair: Te Kooti's Nemesis (2004), Andris Apse: Odyssey and Images — An Illustrated Biography (2006, republished in 2013 as Andris, Where Are You?), Albaneta: Lost Opportunity at Cassino (2007), NZSAS: The First Fifty Years (2009, republished in 2011), and A Desperate Dawn: The Battle for Turuturu Mokai, 1868 (2013).
Ron's deep interest in Maori history was first sparked by his wife, Margy, and her father, Manga Kamariera (Cameron) of Te Rarawa and Te Aupouri. Ron and Margy have three adult children and eight grandchildren, and now live in Blenheim.
