By Lee Barry
Climate Change Campaigner, WWF-New Zealand

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Yann Arthus-Bertrand's aerial images must be worth betting the house on. His large scale shots of the Earth from above have inspired millions of people worldwide for 15 years, and this week his latest show opens in a place much in need of inspiration – Christchurch.

For me, this spectacular exhibition is a perfect union – if you love art, and are thrilled by the beauty of our planet, then this is for you. Likewise, if you don't consider yourself moved by either, I challenge you to be unmoved by this. WWF is supporting this exhibition for that very reason – its unique ability to cross boundaries and whisper a little of the Earth’s magic language in everyone's ear.

These photos are now like old friends to me – I first met them inside the shelter of a shipping container in an embryonic Waitangi Park, Wellington in 2006 as the International Arts Festival that year premiered the show to New Zealand. My line of work then was in arts and events – I was there to see through the logistics of mounting the show and ensuring the artist’s work was properly presented. By the time I'd spent three months babysitting these beauties and running a sustainability information centre, I was hooked – the planet needed saving, and I was just the girl to do it.

It is the startling effect theses images have on people that I can never get over. I have watched many times – most recently over the past few days in Christchurch - as it arrests unsuspecting passers-by from their journey, grabs their attention and draws them in. It mesmerises. It changes plans. Dogs stand forgotten on the end of leads, training runs abandoned. Smart suits and swishing briefcases stand still. Today I heard a young boy squawking from his buggy, mum and dad engrossed in figuring out the puzzle of a field of gigantic solar panels reflecting the landscape and each other. The pace of life eases – the bustle and rush are forgotten as the magnitude and majesty of the Earth, her people and places are suddenly concentrated in front of you.

Yann's message is unashamedly environmental and social – the exhibition is subtitled "towards sustainable development". His aim with this ongoing photography project is to paint a portrait of the planet at the turn of the century. The messages are of resources over-consumed, finite and unfairly distributed. He is using astonishing beauty to tell a shocking story – and yet to also remind us that even in chaos and disaster, like the patchwork rooftops in a flooded New Orleans, there is hope and life. And I can think of nowhere more than Christchurch that deserves that message right now.