Author Description

This timely and visionary new book includes 137 Westra photographs of the New Zealand landscape, with text contributions from Hone Tuwhare, Russel Norman, Brian Turner, David Eggleton and David Lange, who wrote a short piece for Ans as part of an unreaslied book project in 1987. Well known for her iconic black and white documentation of Maori culture, Ans Westra is also known for her colour works, which show concern for New Zealand's destiny, "an island exploited by various waves of settlement". Shot with Ans' trusty Rolleiflex camera, the sometimes damning images in Our Future have been made over the last 20 years. "The purpose of the book is to give a directive to the country, an awareness of things changed and lost within its short history. If we don't plan for the long term and keep taking stop-gap measures, we leave very little behind. Instead of becoming like the rest of the world, this beautiful place should become a shining example of hope for survival in a newly balanced environment. Ans Westra.