Pérrine Moncrieff

Perrine Moncrieff CBE (8 February 1893 – 16 December 1979) was a New Zealand author, conservationist and amateur ornithologist.

She was born in London, England in 1893 as Pérrine Millais. She was the granddaughter of Sir John Millais. She moved with her husband from Britain to New Zealand after the end of the First World War where they settled at Nelson. She was the first female President of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU), 1932–1933.

She is credited with being almost single-handedly responsible for setting aside land that would eventually be the Abel Tasman National Park. Pérrine was awarded the Loder Cup in 1953. In the 1975 Birthday Honours, she was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for "services to conservation as a naturalist and to the Abel Tasman National Park".

Books she authored include:

• Moncrieff, P. (1925). New Zealand Birds and How to Identify Them. Whitcombe & Tombs: Auckland. (Field-guide. 5 editions published to 1961).
• Moncrieff, P. (1965). People Came Later. Author: Nelson.
• Moncrieff, P. (1976). The Rise and Fall of David Riccio. Ambassador: Wellington.

Further reading

• Robin, Libby. (2001). The Flight of the Emu: a hundred years of Australian ornithology 1901-2001. Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84987-3
• Secker, H.L. (1980). "Obituary. Perrine Millais Moncrieff". Emu. 80: 171. doi:10.1071/mu9800171.