'It has been my intention to uncover the personal identity of those women who have heeded their abilities as artists. In short, I wanted to answer the questions of what these women have done and who they are ... The fact that an artist happens to be a woman counts.'.

The identities of serious women artists have too often been omitted from historical accounts and their achievements have been misunderstood and undervalued. By comparison, their male counterparts have invariably been accorded most attention and given the status of innovators.

New Zealand Women Artists: A Survey of 150 Years, is the first comprehensive study of the subject, and makes a significant contribution towards redressing the balance. In tracing the lives and careers of over eighty of these women, it shows that New Zealand women painters, sculptors and other art makers have achieved vital and significant imagery. In doing so, it brings fresh insights to the development of the visual arts in Aotearoa.

In its first edition New Zealand Women Artists was shortlisted for the 1987 Wattle Book of the Year Awards and a finalist in the PEN Best First Book Award (New Zealand) the same year.