It was created to raise awareness and funds for Save the Kiwi, a cause close to Dame Lisa’s heart as one of its official ambassadors.
Dame Lisa says the project was an unexpected but joyful opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
‘‘Colin getting his own Colindar definitely wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card – but here we are.
‘‘Linda has captured it in such a fun, heartfelt way, while still sharing an important message about how we can help protect kiwi.
‘‘It’s pretty cool to be part of something so unique, and I hope we can do some good with it,” she says.
An award-winning master pet photographer, Linda Palmer, says bringing the project to life was a dream come true.
‘‘Like many others in New Zealand, I'd long admired Lisa’s incredible sporting achievements. But as a former Cavoodle owner myself, I had equally admired Colin, who proved to be an absolute superstar at all of our shoots,’’ she says.
‘‘Colin is the perfect pup to promote the safe practices that allow dogs and kiwi to live safely alongside each other.’’
Previously a self-employed writer who worked from home, Linda says she wrote about everything from Orange Roughie to rocket science.
Then her beloved Cavoodle (Buddy) died in an accident.
To get out of the house and try to fill the huge void left by her floofy best friend, Linda began studying photography, her lifelong passion.
There, she discovered a love of pet photography and set up her business, specialising in photographing anything with paws, claws, and hooves for almost a decade.
In 2022, she travelled around the South Island photographing dogs in stunning locations to create a ‘Dogs Down South’ Calendar, with 100% of the profits donated to pet rescues around the mainland.
‘‘I then thought it would be great to create a project calendar around Colin, so I started seeking ways to reach Dame Lisa. It took a while, but I finally found her manager's details and mooted the idea for the project. She loved it, but then we had to find a window of opportunity in her very busy schedule.”
That window ended up being just four days in January 2025, so Linda flew to Auckland for her most memorable shoot ever.
‘‘Everything I had learned and experienced in photography to that date prepared me for this amazing shoot. Dame Lisa was so amazing and very supportive.’’
Linda did six photo sessions at locations all around Auckland.
‘‘It was unbelievable how generous she was with her time, helping me set the shoots up, and adding in her ideas for the scenes we created,’’ Linda says.
‘‘The shot of Colin reading her children's book, 'Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion,' while enjoying a Puppuccino at the cafe was all her idea.’’
Dame Lisa says Linda has captured Colin’s many moods and moments against iconic New Zealand backdrops.
‘‘It is a golden keepsake to get tails wagging, complete with practical tips on how to manage dogs (even small ones like Colin) around kiwi habitats, in an effort to help protect our precious national bird.’’
- All profits from the 2026 Colindar will go directly to Save the Kiwi. It is available to order now from www.pawprintsphotography.co.nz for $23 plus postage.
