She grew up in an orphanage. She attended Camberwell School of Art, and worked as an assistant to Gordon Crocker, the leading fashion photographer of the time.
Prominent New Zealand photographer. Her career spanned more than 40 years, during which she captured post-war New Zealand with her photographs.
She began working full-time as a freelance photographer in 1964. In 1972, her work began to receive widespread attention when she collaborated with writer and historian Michael King on his book Moko, which included the stories of elder Maori women.