About eighty-five million years ago, New Zealand split away from the supercontinent Gondwana. On board were plants and
animals that evolved without predatory land mammals. Most plants and animals arrived here after crossing the ocean and
many developed unusual features as they evolved in relative isolation.
Many species are endemic (i.e. found nowhere else), such as the flightless kiwi and the giant kauri tree. New Zealand
was once almost covered in forest, with hundreds of bird species. As people cut down forests and brought rats, possums,
stoats, and cats from overseas, at least half of bird species became extinct.
Only four types of frog remain, but tens of thousands of different insects (such as stick insects and wētā) thrive in
most habitats.
Native eels, water snails, sandflies and crayfish live in the rivers. The only poisonous native animal is the katipō
spider, living on sandy beaches.
Since New Zealand drifted away from the super-continent, a unique flora and fauna has evolved, leaving a land full of
fascinating plants and animal life.
Like other regions separated from the rest of the world for a long period, it developed a distinct flora, about
seventy-five percent of which is unique and includes some of the world's oldest plant forms.
The flowering plants, conifers, ferns, lycopods, and other vascular tracheophytes that constitute much of the land
vegetation show affinities with plants of the Malayan region, supporting the theory of an ancient land bridge between
the two regions.
Over two hundred and fifty plant species are common to both Australia and New Zealand. The Antarctic element, comprising
more than seventy species related to forms in the flora of South America and the Southern Ocean islands, is of special
interest to botanists. The kauri pine, world famous for its timber, is now found only in parts of the North Island.
The rimu and the totara also are timber trees. Other handsome trees include the pohutukawa and other species of rata and
kowhai. New Zealand flax, formerly of great importance in the Maori economy, is found in swampy places. Undergrowth in
the damp forests consists largely of ferns, of which there are one hundred and forty-five species. They clothe most of
the tree trunks and branches and tree ferns form part of the foliage.
Tussock grass occurs on all mountains above the scrub line and over large areas in the South Island.
There are more than 2,500 native plant types (including flowering plants, ferns and conifers) and over 5,800 types of
fungi, such as mushrooms, in Aotearoa. The mountains are home to tussocks, daisies, and shrubs with bright berries.
Swamps and river banks have rushes, cabbage trees, flax, and bulrushes. On the coast, trees like karaka and ngaio have
thick, tough leaves that can withstand salt winds. Some patches of original, old-growth forest still survive, like kauri
and rims The conifer-broadleaf forests resemble tropical rainforests, with a canopy, lush foliage, and thick carpets of
ferns and mosses.
There is also a great diversity of indigenous bird life, including breeding and migratory species. Among the flightless
birds the most famous is obviously the kiwi, the only bird in the world with nostrils at the tip of the bill instead of
at the base. Other characteristic birds are the kea, a mountain parrot, and the tui, a beautiful songbird. All but one
of the genera of penguins are represented in New Zealand. Several species of birds, the most famous being the Pacific
godwit, migrate from breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle to spend spring and summer in New Zealand.
Apart from seals and two species of bats, there are no indigenous land mammals, and some of those introduced (such as
rabbits, deer, pigs, and the Australian possum) have become pests. Sea mammals include whales and dolphins.
To help increase our understanding of Aotearoa’s unique eco-system, Te Papa press has produced a pair of small, but
delightful volumes on New Zealand’s native birds and plants.
They provide handy introductions to the unique birdlife and flora of Aotearora - “for the backyard, bach, and backpack.”
Part of the new Te Taiao Nature Series, ‘Native Birds of Aotearoa’ is a handsomely illustrated guide to native bird
species that concisely describes sixty of our most interesting species, including forest, garden, wetland, coastal,
alpine and marine birds, reflecting the range of subtropical, temperate, and subantarctic habitats.
Written by Michael Szabo, with an introduction by Alan Tennyson, it is published in collaboration with Birds New Zealand
and includes ornithological notes on each species as well as compelling insights into the museum’s fieldwork and
collections. Szabo is editor of Birds New Zealand magazine and a contributor to New Zealand Birds Online. He was the
principal author of ‘Wild Encounters - A Forest & Bird guide to discovering NZ’s unique wildlife,’ and has written for the New Scientist, NZ Geographic, and Sunday
Star-Times.
Tennyson (Curator Vertebrates Te Papa) researches vertebrate animal groups, but his particular expertise is in fossils
and living birds. His current research focuses on the history and origins of New Zealand’s animals and the conservation
of seabirds in the South Pacific. Charming original illustrations from the 1930s have been complemented in the same
style by illustrator Pippa Keel, an award-winning illustration designer, who has an Honours degree in illustration and a
huge love of the outdoors.
Up to fifteen percent of the total land area of New Zealand is still covered with native flora, from tall kauri and
kohekohe forests to rainforest dominated by rimu, beech, tawa, matai and rata; ferns and flax; dunelands with their
spinifex and pingao; alpine and subalpine herb fields; and scrub and tussock. ’Native Plants of Aotearoa’ is an equally
accessible guide to fifty of our most interesting and commonly encountered species.
Written by Te Papa botanists, it includes useful descriptions on each species and insights into the museum’s fieldwork
and collections. The beautiful illustrations are from Te Papa’s collections, based on sketches from fresh plant
specimens collected by botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander on board HMS Endeavour during its 1786-91 expedition.
Dr Carlos Lehnebach (Te Papa Curator Botany) studies the diversity, evolution and conservation of New Zealand flowering
plants. His main groups of interest are terrestrial and epiphytic orchids, alpine plants, and plants shared with other
land masses in the Southern Hemisphere. Dr Heidi Meudt (Te Papa Curator Botany) is a researcher whose collections-based
research focuses on the evolution and classification of native New Zealand flowering plants, especially forget-me-nots.
Her research aims to update the taxonomy and conservation status of all native forget-me-nots.
Both books in this lightweight, hardback series are designed by Tim Denee, who has created have a crisp look and feel
that is ideal not only for nature walks and bush tramping, but also using at home. The only question I have is why the
illustrations are not in colour ...
Publication date: October 2022
NZ RRP (incl. GST): $27.00
Extent: 144 pages
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-99-115094-3