New Zealand hymn writer Shirley Erena Murray began writing poetry at a young age. She found her niche in later life as a hymn poet, initially to provide her minister husband John Murray with hymns of contemporary relevance to match his progressive theology.

Many of her 400 hymns have been published in hymnals across denominations in North America, Oceania, the United Kingdom and Europe.

Her hymns and the themes she expressed – peace, social justice, human rights, inclusivity, ecology – helped change the way people understood their faith in an increasingly secular world. A woman of warmth and compassion, with a strong sense of her own identity from Aotearoa New Zealand, she is considered one of the most influential international hymn writers of our time.