The collection of 5,000 glass plate negatives created by William Fitzgerald Crawford (1844–1915) is an unparalleled record of the development of Gisborne and the district between 1874 and 1912. Crawford had an ability to make quality images that both were informative and artistic.

His style could easily be described as journalistic. Its breadth covers nearly all aspects of life from important events to simple rural living. The growth of Gisborne is well documented, and social and business activities are well represented. Subjects appear comfortable in the camera’s presence.

Nomination supporter Karl Johnstone writes: “At a time when many visual records reinforced colonial ideologies of Māori decline, Crawford’s lens offered a counterpoint: portraying Māori as dynamic, expressive, and resilient—caught mid-karanga, mid-haka, mid-laughter.”