New Zealand’s Story in Pictures Nearly Lost Forever

Rescued from landfill by Duncan Miller Gallery in Los Angeles, a trove of photos depicting pivotal scenes dating back to 1841 in New Zealand is now being auctioned and sold to institutions, Charlotte Graham-McClay reports for The Guardian.

Some are the only known copies of those pictures; the negatives for most have been lost or destroyed.

“They should never have left New Zealand,” says Daniel Miller, the owner and director of Duncan Miller Gallery, which bought the photos from a bank after the American company that was in possession of them filed for bankruptcy. “It’s the history of a country.”

The collection includes photos of major news events of the 20th century – such as the Wāhine ferry sinking, the bombing of the ship the Rainbow Warrior and the 1931 Napier earthquake, as well as prominent figures such as the aviator Jean Batten and mountaineer Edmund Hillary.

Original article by Charlotte Graham-McLay, The Guardian, January 10, 2024.