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World Population Day 2006

On 11 July 2006, a MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY event was held at Parliament in Wellington to mark World Population Day. Around 200 people attended to hear Simon Townsley, internationally acclaimed photographer, talk about and present his recent work. Hosted by Steve Chadwick, Chair of the New Zealand Parliamentarians' Group on Populaiton and Development (NZPPD), the event was held in association with: Wellington Photographic Society FPA International Development MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign Ronald Woolf Memorial Trust.

About Simon Townsley

Simon Townsley is an internationally acclaimed photographer born in Wellington, New Zealand, 1963. Twice named British Press Photographer of the year, and winner of the Nikon Press Awards Photo Essay of the Year, he has worked for 12 years as Senior Photographer at the Sunday Times. His work has been widely published throughout the world. Simon’s passion for the visual image has driven him towards some diverse and interesting projects - from helping to create Christian Aid’s most successful Christmas campaign ever in 2004, to running photography workshops for the BBC World Service Trust in the Sudan.

In 1995, he became a pioneer in the digital world when he founded image.net, a company controlling and managing the distribution of publicity material for the entertainment industry. In 2004 image.net was sold to Getty Images, and Simon was again able to dedicate himself fully to his passion, photography.

Simon has just completed a highly acclaimed and controversial two year photographic exploration of the oil and gas industry, taking him to over 20 locations across the globe and culminating in an exhibition at The Royal Academy in London in 2005. The OILMAN project continued to tour to Houston and Calgary where it was auctioned raising nearly $200,000 for childrens charity AARC.

These grand-scale images from OILMAN grace the walls of major energy companies around the world, providing a fresh yet powerful view of their industry. He has combined his background in photojournalism with a large format style, providing his clients with a new and highly distinctive look and feel.

Major photojournalism assignments included: the fall of the Berlin Wall; the Tiananmen Square Massacre; the first democratic elections in South Africa; the handover of Hong Kong; as well as conflicts in the Gulf, Balkans, Africa, and Asia, and coverage of significant events in the UK.

Did you know that every minute around the world...
•	one woman dies from complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
•	10 teenage girls undergo an unsafe abortion.
•	13 infants under 12 months die
•	57 people catch an STI
•	11 people are infected with HIV
•	the population increases by 150 people

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