One of New Zealand’s smallest birds has helped photographer Douglas Thorne scoop a major prize at the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the year awards announced Thursday night.

Thorne won the Ockham Residential People’s Choice award for a single tiny rock wren against the big country backdrop of Fiordland just before sunset.

Image 1 of 11: Riley Baker bicycle jump by Andrew MacDonald, Winner of Photographer of the Year Award, New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year.

“I anticipated the rock wren would fly towards this pointy rock, as they like to land on tall rocky outposts,” Thorne said of his picture. “I only managed to get a few shots before it saw me and flew off.”

Aotearoa’s most prestigious photography awards celebrates 11 winners chosen from over 6000 entries, a record in the competition’s 14-year history.

The overall winner is Andy MacDonald from Taranaki for a broad portfolio covering social stories, landscapes and wildlife.

“The images were full of colour, action and meaning,” said James Frankham, publisher of New Zealand Geographic and a main judge for the awards.” It’s the result of hard graft as a photojournalist, and the eye of an artist looking for patterns, juxtaposing subjects, making angles.”

New Zealand Herald visual journalist Mike Scott picked up the Resene Built Environment award for his stark silhouette of people on a bridge with a flock of birds whirling high above.

“It was only after several minutes of inhuman stillness by the lone figure that I remembered it was a cutout figure attached to the bridge,” said Scott.

Sometimes the smallest detail makes for the biggest impact.

The New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the year can be viewed at www.nzgeo.com/photo/ and in the November/December issue of the magazine. A public exhibition of the finalists is on show at the Britomart precinct until November 20.