Paul Martinson, Stout-legged moa (Euryapteryx curtus) in dunes , 2019, watercolour and watercolour pencil on paper, 87cm x 117cm. Courtesy: Paul Martinson and Sanderson Gallery, Auckland, NZ.

Aotearoa New Zealand was once home to nine species of Moa, a large species of flightless bird. Despite millions of years of existence, their disappearance from fossil and archaeological records sadly coincided with the arrival of the first humans in the 14th century. The resulting destruction of Moa habitat and human hunting was responsible for their rapid demise and extinction.

Precisely how Moa would have looked visually may always have a degree of speculation about it, just as we can never know for sure how dinosaurs appeared to an observer. In that sense this is very much collaboration of science and art.

Exhibition opens 5:30–7:30pm Tuesday 10 September 2019

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