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Otago Daily Times
05-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Photographers make finals
Oamaru's photographic talent came into sharp focus at Otago's largest nature photography competition at the Tūhura Otago Museum in Dunedin last week. The exhibition of photographs, titled "Otago's Lens on the Wild World", opened last week and runs until October 12 in the museum's special exhibitions gallery. More than 4450 entries were submitted across Otago, and finalists included Oamaru photographers Tom Davies and Gary Speer. Mr Davies had four images chosen from the wildlife, botanical and natural abstract categories, while Mr Speer had two images selected as finalists in the exhibition, which celebrates the region's biodiversity and creativity. Mr Davies said it was an honour and a shock to be recognised by the museum. "It came as quite a surprise, especially knowing how rich and diverse the talent pool is in New Zealand. "Now that the shock has worn off, I feel deeply grateful that I get to live in a part of the world as beautiful as Otago and how lucky we are to have all this on our doorstep," he said. Tūhura Otago Museum marketing manager Charlie Buchan said it was a "huge achievement" for both photographers to be chosen as finalists. Their entries included stunning photographs of fungi, flowers and Oamaru's local wildlife, showcasing the breadth and creativity of nature photography coming out of the North Otago region, Mr Buchan said. Oamaru made a strong impression with a significant number of standout entries, he said. "It highlights the town's growing reputation as a hub for amateur photographers inspired by the wild beauty of their local environment. "The exhibition brings together the best of what our region sees every day, through the lenses of people who really care about the natural world around them," Mr Buchan said. The 2025 Tūhura Otago Museum Photographer of the Year was won by Sam McGee, 17, of Dunedin, for his entry, Water Wings. He also won the wildlife youth section.
Scoop
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Dunedin Brothers Dominate 2025 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Competition
The results are in for Tūhura Otago Museum's 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and Dunedin brothers Sam and Monty McGee have swept the top awards. Seventeen-year-old Sam McGee has been named Overall Winner for his striking image Water Wings, which captures a white-faced heron in mid-motion with remarkable timing and atmospheric tones. The same image also earned him Wildlife Youth category winner. Sam's photo Lone Lion was named Runner-Up in the Wildlife Youth category, cementing his dominance across the youth section of the competition. 'This stunning image of the heron in its breeding plumage impressed us with its excellent composition and moody, almost monochromatic tones,' the judging panel said of Sam's winning Water Wings. 'The patience in waiting for the heron to dip its beak into the water really paid off, the droplets add dynamic movement to the photo.' Fifteen-year-old Monty McGee was awarded Runner-Up in Wildlife Youth for his image Pūteketeke Yoga, a beautifully composed portrait of the native crested grebe. This photo also earned Monty Youth Photographer of the year, with judges praising the detail and technical skill in his debut submission. Exhibition Manager and competition judge Shanaya Cunningham said, 'Even with an anonymous judging process, the McGees' images stood out. Finding out it was Monty's first time entering took us all by surprise due to the detail and expertise in his image.' As Sam now moves from the youth category into the adult division, there's excitement across the photographic community about what this talented brother duo will create next. Their achievements are a proud moment for Dunedin and a strong example of youth photography excellence in Aotearoa. The annual competition drew over 4,450 entries with images captured from across the globe and saw a major increase in submissions from Queenstown, Wānaka, and Oamaru, highlighting the growing strength of nature photography in the Southern Lakes and North Otago regions. Marketing Manager Charlie Buchan said, 'This competition is growing year on year. It's becoming increasingly popular, not only as a competition but as an exhibition. We're seeing tens of thousands through the doors, and this year looks to be our biggest yet. It's a brilliant showcase of photographic talent and a celebration of nature from New Zealand's wildlife capital.' The 2025 exhibition, Otago's Lens on the Wild World, opens on Thursday 26 June and runs until Sunday 12 October at Tūhura Otago Museum. Entry is free. The exhibition will showcase the best from the competition across four key categories: Wildlife, Landscape, Botanical, and Natural Abstract. Visitors can explore all finalist entries on an interactive digital display, vote for their favourite in the People's Choice Award, and enjoy wildlife-themed crafts and up-close encounters with native species. Otago's Lens on the Wild World is developed by Tūhura Otago Museum with support from The OPERA – Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance, and in partnership with Wild Dunedin, Jonathan's Photo Warehouse, and Canon New Zealand.
1News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
Five Big Things That Happened Today: Thursday, June 26
Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp has died, charges are laid for an alleged hit-and-run, and authorities bust an 'insider threat' smuggling drugs at Auckland Airport. 1 Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp dies Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp has died at 50 after revealing last year she was battling kidney disease. Her party said it was "heartbroken" to confirm news of the death of "our sister" in the early hours of this morning. Leaders across the political spectrum joined in paying tribute. ADVERTISEMENT Read More 2 Second man charged after Rotorua man's death in alleged hit-and-run A second man has been charged after a fatal alleged hit-and-run in Hamilton last week. A motorcyclist allegedly overtook a stationary vehicle and struck Paige Johnson as he was crossing Edmund Rd in Mangakakahi at around 2.15pm on June 15. Johnson, who was sight- and hearing-impaired, died in hospital on June 19. Read More 3 Auckland Airport drug syndicate: $24m meth, cocaine seized — 18 arrests ADVERTISEMENT Eighteen people were arrested following an investigation into drug smuggling at Auckland Airport with ten of those staff at the airport. Ten of those arrested worked at Auckland Airport, including nine baggage handlers. Read More 4 'Close to home': Divers disable WWII mines in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf Mines that were laid to protect Waitematā Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf from threats posed by the Japanese and German navies have been disabled. Divers used low-level explosive charges to crack the mine casings, allowing seawater to disarm the mines permanently. Read More ADVERTISEMENT 5 NATO chief Mark Rutte refers to Donald Trump as 'daddy' The leaders of NATO met in the Netherlands amidst the backdrop of war in the Middle East, with the US president recently dropping the F-bomb after lashing out at Israel and Iran's post-ceasefire strikes. The NATO Secretary General said at the military alliance meeting that "daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get [them to] stop". Read More Watch: Severe weather warnings as school holidays approach 1News meteorologist Dan Corbett said for some places the heavy rain will be "almost off the scale" as some "nasty" weather moves in. Watch Here ADVERTISEMENT ONE STUNNING PHOTO A seventeen-year-old's photo of a white-faced heron has crowned him as Tūhura Otago Museum's photographer of the year. There were more than 4450 entries from around the world, but Sam McGee's photo stood out due to its 'excellent composition and moody, almost monochromatic tones,' the judging panel said. The exhibition, Otago's Lens on the Wild World, opens from June 26 until October 12 at Tūhura Otago Museum. Entry is free. Read More
