Thematically, Dr Buller's Birds explores and explodes aspects of the ecology of New Zealand in a historical context. Through the prism of Buller's life, and associated imagery, the play traverses scientific and philosophical ideas prevalent in the 19th century in relation to land, flora and fauna, ecology and race. A strict Darwinist, Buller thought the native birds and humans of NZ were doomed to extinction, surrendering to stronger Anglo Saxon stock.

Many early colonials hated and feared
the New Zealand bush and were dedicated to destroying it and replacing it with familiar English plants and birds.
By the end of Buller's life, and to some extent because of it, the New Zealand landscape was perceived as beautiful, unique and worth preserving. In the contradictory actions of his life are the seeds of the debates about forests and foreshore, seabed and sovereignty which rage unabated today.

The play is not an attempt to tell the story of Buller's life in any literal sense but rather a vehicle of exploration. Through Dr Buller's Birds it becomes apparent that each moment of history has its blinkers, we can see those of past generations, is it possible for us to see our own?
 
 
Sir Walter Buller

Walter Buller was born in Northland in 1838, the son of Wesleyan missionaries. He learnt taxidermy from his mother and as a teenager (14 years old) created some of the first stuffed bird displays at the Auckland museum. At 18 he ran a Maori language newspaper and became a government translator. During this time he became the foremost authority on New Zealand's native birds. Buller worked as a magistrate in the Native Land Court where he was never far from controversy. He profited enormously by working for both sides in major land deals between the crown and iwi all around the country, and was hated by many for it.
His book A History of the Birds of New Zealand is recognised as one of the world's great books on ornithology and its images have adorned school book covers, postage stamps and t-shirts to the present day. An almost pathological social climber, Buller sent thousands of bird specimens to overseas collections and is known to have personally contributed to the decline of several species. Most notable among these was the huia, a bird sacred to Maori, and supposedly protected by law. Ironically it was his book that helped spark the first appreciation among settlers of the unique beauty of New Zealand and the ultimately the conservation movement. He died in Hampshire, England in 1906.

Te Keepa Rangihiwinui

Te Keepa Rangihiwinui, or Major Kemp, was a high born Maori chieftain, born in the 1820s. Distinguished for his fighting qualities, he was a hero of the Colonial forces in the Land Wars. His work as a Native Land Court assessor suffered by him using his reputation and military force to reverse the humiliations suffered by his tribe during his childhood. Protracted disputes over his tribal lands in the Horowhenua lead to Supreme Court and parliamentary hearings, a parliamentary bill and finally a royal commission in 1896. This wore down the physical, spiritual and financial resources of the aging warrior.

Te Keepa's lawyer, Walter Buller, took his fee in the form of a mortgage over a piece of land on the shores of Lake Papaitonga. In his last years he became known for his part in Kotahitanga, the movement for Maori unity. He died on the 15th of April 1898.