Did you know that some of New Zealand's original bees live underground, that birds help flowers make seeds, and that some native plants don't need animal pollinators at all?
I began asking these questions while researching my family's generations of beekeeping in South Canterbury. We know how important honeybees are to farming today, but how did our native forests, wetlands and grasslands reproduce before they arrived? According to Te Papa's invertebrates curator Julia Kasper, Aotearoa has 28 recognised native bee species. Most are small, dark and solitary, nesting in soil or hollow stems rather than the large colonies we associate with honeybees.
They were already collecting nectar and pollen, helping native plants reproduce. So were flies, moths, beetles, birds, lizards and other animals. And not every plant needed an animal. Some used the wind, while ferns reproduced through spores instead of seeds. We didn't bring pollination to New Zealand. We introduced new pollinators to support the plants and farming systems we were creating.
A woman who helped record our native flowers
While researching these plants, I discovered the beautiful botanical illustrations of Sarah Featon (1848–1927). Around 1885, Sarah was painting New Zealand's native flowers in remarkable detail. Working with her husband Edward, she produced The Art Album of New Zealand Flora, published in 1889.
According to Te Papa, it was New Zealand's first fully coloured art book, with 40 colour plates. The couple wanted to challenge the mistaken belief that New Zealand lacked beautiful native flowers. Sarah's original watercolours, many created from specimens collected by other women, are preserved at Te Papa.
I've used her illustrations throughout this history hunt. Some show plants native to South Canterbury, while others grow naturally elsewhere in New Zealand. Together they reveal the remarkable variety of ways our plants reproduce.