The recording and documentation of plant species in New Zealand in the nineteenth century encompassed the concerns of both science and philosophy. Not only did botanical studies of native plants provide detailed records of the country’s natural environment, but also served to reassure colonial settlers of a sense of belonging and home in a new world. Arguably, the successor to such concerns, the annual exhibition of the Botanical Art Society of New Zealand will be held at COCA in 2009. However, in the early 21st century, the Botanical Art Society of New Zealand (established in 2004) aims to ‘foster and promote botanical art and to stimulate interest in plants, conservation, horticulture and the natural environment.’