Ans Westra

Born in 1936 in Leiden, Netherlands, Ans first arrived in Aotearoa in 1957 at the age of 21. From the 1960s onwards, she spent long periods of time travelling around the country as a full-time freelance documentary photographer, working mainly for the Department of Education and Te Ao Hou, a Māori magazine published by the Government.

Committed to observing and expressively documenting New Zealand life and culture, her candid images capture New Zealanders at work and play, Māori and Pākehā, old and young, rural and urban. In 1998, Ans was made a Companion of the Order of New Zealand Merit for services to photography.

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