Birdlife is woven into the identity of Aotearoa New Zealand.

They shape our forests, coastlines, wetlands and skies — and occupy a unique place in our cultural imagination, environmental consciousness, and everyday lives.

Aotearoa Takes Flight brings together a collective photographic portrait of New Zealand birdlife through the eyes of photographers from across the country. Featuring up to 100 individual images, the exhibition transforms a gallery wall into a living mosaic of feathers, colour, movement, habitat and story.

This exhibition invites bird lovers, professional photographers, emerging image-makers, students and passionate observers alike to contribute a single image capturing their personal encounter with birdlife in Aotearoa. Together, these works become more than a survey of species; they form a shared reflection on connection — between people, place and the natural world.

Some images will celebrate rare and iconic native species. Others observe the familiar birds that inhabit our urban environments, rural landscapes and coastlines. Collected side by side, these photographs reveal both the extraordinary diversity of New Zealand birdlife and the many ways photography can deepen attention, care and awareness.

Please refer to the ts&cs on our website.

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