Weng Wai graduated with a medical degree (MBChB) in 1992 and a Diploma in Paediatrics in 1994, both from the University of Auckland. She worked as a general practitioner in Auckland until 2002.

She speaks conversational Cantonese and Mandarin, and is actively involved in her community, including volunteering at Churchill Park School (library, book club and gardening activities) and as a Sunday school teacher at the Auckland Chinese Presbyterian Church.

In 2019 her junior fiction historical novel Lizard’s Tale was published by Melbourne publisher Text Publishing and led to a new direction.

She has been actively involved in the Auckland branch of the NZ Society of Authors since 2017 and enjoys working with and supporting other NZ authors. She became chair of the Auckland branch in 2019, with responsibilities including working with the other branch committee members to decide our direction, arranging the venue and speakers for our monthly meetings, promoting members’ books and events, organising workshops and fundraising activities.

Weng Wai is passionate about children’s and YA literature and feels that it is crucial for young people to engage with reading. She says that speaking at schools and writers’ festivals has been a joy and a privilege, allowing her to connect with young people and their teachers and librarians, and to share her love of reading and New Zealand literature.