Susan Smith, a Catholic Sister, has worked as a secondary school teacher in her congregation's schools in New Zealand and in congregational formation programmes in Bangladesh, Philippines, and Myanmar.

She has spent one year in Ethiopia with the Jesuit Refugee Service and also lived and worked for five years in Ruatoria. In 1994 Susan began lecturing at the School of Theology at The University of Auckland.

She lives in Whangarei, Northland where she is involved in research and writing and on-line tutoring for EIDTS (the Ecumenical Institute of Distance Theological Studies) and the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Locally she works as a volunteer budget adviser and is involved in environmental activities. She finds that her so-called retirement is quite a busy and rewarding time.