Mahi Whakaahua i te Tuawhenua o Aotearoa
Ron Vine: Photographing Rural New Zealand
Step back in time via the lens of influential photojournalist Ron Vine. Through this remarkable collection, be transported to a pivotal period in Aotearoa New Zealand rural history when our landscapes and agricultural industries underwent rapid transformation.
OPENING 31 AUGUST
Discover a stiking visual record of rural life in mid-20th-century Aotearoa New Zealand through the Ron Vine Collection, presented in the Walsh Memorial Library.
This exhibition draws from a collection of more than 1,400 photographs by agricultural photojournalist Ron Vine, capturing a time of rapid transformation across the country’s farms, industries, and communities. A selection of images, taken between 1934 and 1947, document farming innovation, evolving technology, land development and food production, alongside everyday rural life.
From the rhythm of sheep shearing and the precision of milk testing, to citrus sorting in packing sheds and the construction of concrete water systems, the photographs reveal the processes that shaped Aotearoa’s primary industries. Intimate portraits of farmers and families sit alongside expansive landscapes, showing changing patterns of agricultural land use and development in the interwar years.
The exhibition is organised into three themes – Vine’s life and career, farming and land development, and harvesting and production.
As both a photographer and science communicator, Vine distilled complex agricultural science into practical farming advice, leaving an indelible mark on the development of New Zealand farms and the rural economy.
Explore the images, stories and legacy of a pioneering voice in agricultural journalism – and a defining chapter in New Zealand’s history.
Please note: The Walsh Memorial Library is open Monday to Friday and Sunday Live Days only. This exhibition is not open during weekends or public holidays.
