An exhibition of renowned New Zealand photographer Robin Morrison's images, recently installed in the new Kaitangata Black Gold Heritage Museum Centre, captures Kaitangata in 1979 - a town in decline.
The man responsible for selecting and preparing the 16 world-class images of Kaitangata's beautiful but decaying buildings - many of which have now been demolished - is John Perry, an art historian and curator.
Mr Perry comes from Kaukapakapa, north of Helensville, but has owned an old church in Kaitangata for the past three years, which he and partner Anne-Marie Davis travel to whenever they can.
Mr Perry's passion for Robin Morrison's work was sparked in 1980, while he was director of an art gallery in Rotorua.
Morrison's "South Island of New Zealand from the Road" exhibition arrived at the then three-year-old gallery, which Mr Perry described as a "7.4 on the Richter scale" event.
Morrison's images took people beyond the expected picture-postcard South Island scenery and revealed another idiosyncratic, living layer that had not been seen before.
"I heard about the [Kaitangata] museum, and thought I could help, having 20 years of experience," he said.
Mr Perry worked for six months, gaining access to Morrison's work and the blessing of wife Dinah Morrison to reproduce the images.
Museums are consciousness-raising experiences, where people can see the past, where they come from, and preserve the past for their future, he said.
"My involvement with art, and history, is about enrichment."
Tomorrow, at 2.30pm, Mr Perry will give a talk on the museum's photographic exhibition.
He is also working to bring together other works of art inspired by Kaitangata.
"Everybody here has been really good. This is a way of giving something back," he said.
