Ockham NZ Book Awards Winner 2026 - www.nzbookawards.nz
Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Awards
The Judges"Built out of a career dedicated to research and scientific discovery, He Puāwai: A Natural History of New Zealand Flowers cements Philip Garnock-Jones as one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading botanists. Detailed, accessible and stunningly beautiful in its design, his first book is a celebration of scholarship and the power of stereoscopic photography. In the text, Garnock-Jones reveals the hidden sex life of Aotearoa flora supported by his exquisite macro photographs that communicate a sense of wonder about our natural world."
Karen MacMillan Review from www.nzbooklovers.co.nz
"The extraordinary photography and text in this stunning coffee table book showcase 100 of Aotearoa’s most beautiful flowers. From kōwhai, manuka and pōhutukawa to other varieties you may not have heard of before, this book is a must-have for gardeners, foragers and anyone interested in our natural beauty. The book includes a viewer to see the flowers in spectacular 3D."
www.rnz.co.nz ninetonoon interview with Philip Garnock-Jones
Aotearoa has at least 2,200 native species of flowering plants that have evolved in our unique conditions, and the vast majority of them grow nowhere else on earth.
This has made New Zealand a natural laboratory for studies of flower biology and a vibrant wonderland of gardens and bush for Māori and Pakeha to enjoy. He Puawai is a natural history of New Zealand flowers, focusing on 100 native species to represent the full range of flower phenomena of Aotearoa - from familiar iconic flowers of kowhai, manuka and pohutukawa to oddities like the water-pollinated flowers of eelgrass, bat-pollinated blossoms of kiekie, and the world's smallest flowers, Wolffia.
Each flower's text describes and explains its structure and functions, alongside over 500 remarkable photographs that enable the reader (with the viewer included in the book) to view the flowers miraculously in 3D.
For gardeners and foragers, for bush walks and coffee tables, He Puāwai is an inspirational natural history of the native flowers of Aotearoa.
Philip Garnock-Jones is a botanist, emeritus professor and former chair of botany at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. He is an internationally renowned expert on plant diversity and the author of over 100 scientific articles for local and international journals.
Hardback, 448 pages
H: 270mm W: 240mm Spine: 38mm