Originally a teacher, Peter Peryer had a degree in English and a Masters in Education. Born in 1941, it was not until his 30’s that he took up photography which for many years now has been his sole occupation.

In 1998 he had a major exhibition and publication in Germany called Second Nature. This exhibition toured in Germany and Australia.

Peter Peryer was the recipient of several awards including an ONZM for his contribution to photography. He was also a Fulbright Scholar, which enabled him to continue studying his medium in the United States.

In 2007, Peter was awarded the William Hodges Fellowship which enabled him to live in Invercargill for 4 months, resulting in an exhibition of 31 images from that period at the Southland Museum & Art Gallery in early 2008.

Peter work regularly appears in books and magazines. During 2008 images of his were seen on the television series The Big Picture, hosted by Hamish Keith. He also spent a year in Alexandra as the second Henderson House Artist in Residence. The residency was established by philanthropists Russell & Barbara Henderson in the house that was designed for them by Austrian architect Ernst Plischke.

His works are widely collected and are held in all major New Zealand Institutions, and internationally, including the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and the Australian National Gallery in Canberra.

Peter kept a journal online. This blog not only showed his new work but gives insights into his practice. His last blog entry (from 2013) is titled Under Water. It begins...

"Tomorrow I go to Fiji. It's not really a holiday,

I'm not sure if I take holidays. It's primarily

a trip to see what new photos I can find,

I would be happy with just one, it's always like

that for me."

Peter Peryer died 18 November 2018