Gavin Bishop


Gavin John Bishop is an author and illustrator, from Invercargill, New Zealand. He is known for illustrating books from prominent New Zealand authors, including Joy Cowley and Margaret Mahy.

Early life

Bishop was born on 13 February 1946 in Invercargill, to a Tainui and Ngāti Awa family.

Career

Bishop worked as a high school art teacher for thirty years, before writing and illustrating children's books full-time.
Bishop's first published picture book was Mrs McGinty and the Bizarre Plant, published in 1981 by Oxford University Press.
In 2006, he accused the makers of the Hollywood film Mr and Mrs Smith of plagiarizing his 1997 school book The Secret Lives of Mr and Mrs Smith.
Hundreds of artworks by Bishop were purchased by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in a deal announced in 2025.

Select honours and awards