Charitable trust Nga Kete Matauranga Pounamu launched the Matariki calendar on Saturday at the Tomairangi Marae in Invercargill, celebrating the Maori New Year and the joy of raising a whanau.
Ms Gay's first calendar, Ink of Aotearoa, featured artists including Hollie Smith and King Kapisi.
She said it had been an "amazing experience" to photograph such a high calibre of New Zealand musicians for the first calendar and launch Ink of Aotearoa nationally, but she was "thrilled and proud" to be the photographer and creative force behind her second release of cultural images.
The concept for the calendar was created by Nga Kete and assisted locally by Alesha Kereru, with the support of family and community services programme SKIP and the Ministry of Social Development.
Twelve families from Queenstown, Invercargill, Timaru and throughout the lower South Island were chosen as subjects for the calendar, and Ms Gay had two days with the families in which to deliver the creative vision behind each shot.
The calendar used a range of positive parenting messages to profile and support the role of parents and caregivers.
"To work with parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters from 12 families to produce the range of shots we needed in just two days was a huge challenge, but one I enjoyed tremendously.
"The interpretation of each parenting 'slogan' was left to me, so I made sure I shot up to three or four different slogans with each family group," Ms Gay said.
Nga Kete Matauranga Pounamu chief executive Tracey Wright-Tawha said every picture in the calendar showed its relationship with pounamu. Most of the greenstone pieces were supplied by local carver Luke Leaf.
Dean Whaanga assisted by incorporating Maori planting and fishing information in the calendar.
"It is a reflection of our people, our land, our customs and the things we value," Ms Wright-Tawha said.
The calendar can be viewed in the Exhibitions section of Still Vision' website at http://stillvision.co.nz/exhibitions/motatou/ and can be bought from Still Vision's studio in Camp Street, Queenstown, Nga Kete's Queenstown and Invercargill branches and at the launch for $20 each.
All profits will go back to supporting whanau in the community.
