Hugh Wilson; Feb 2019

Hugh Wilson is manager of Hinewai Reserve and the author of many books on plant life in New Zealand.  He has recently been honored with a doctorate from Lincoln University and is featured in a new movie on Hinewai:  "Fools and Dreamers, Regenerating a Native Forest." You can find clips on YouTube.

 Hugh Wilson was born in Timaru in 1945 with twin sister Hilary.  He moved to Christchurch with the family in 1950, went to school and University there.  In 1963 he taught for a year in Sarawak with Volunteer Service Abroad.

He worked as a Botanist and Naturalist in Mount Cook National Park, Stewart Island and other wild places.  Hugh has lived in Banks Peninsula for over 30 years and manages Hinewai Reserve to the east of Akaroa.  He was a keen mountaineer in his younger days and still loves tramping and cycling.  He has written and illustrated many books on natural history.

Of his art, he says:  "I simply try to make each work both scientifically accurate and aesthetically pleasing, hoping to help the observer's appreciation of the limitless beauty and wonder of the natural world."