Often remembered as a controversial figure, James K Baxter is one of New Zealand’s best poets, dramatists, and social commentators. His harsh critiques of New Zealand society arose from close social work such as providing support for those with drug addictions in Auckland or establishing a spiritual commune in Jerusalem (Whanganui). His work is biographical and should be read through the window of his experiences, from his childhood in Dunedin to the small commune in Auckland, where he died of a coronary thrombosis at the age of 46.