Batik of family life DINAH'S GIFT TO HER GIRLS

As well as her brilliant career, the star also raised three talented daughters

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It’s not every day celebrated artist Dinah Priestley has all three of her daughters home at the same time because the talented trio is dotted all over the show.

Tandi Wright is an Auckland-based actor whose had starring roles in Creamerie, Nothing Trivial and Shortland Street. Middle sister Justine Wright is a sought-after film editor who lives in London and whose work has won Academy Awards, while eldest sister Nikki Wright is a distinguished environmental writer and eco-artist, currently campaigning for urban pollinator berms in Porirua.

Which is why 87-year-old Dinah was especially joyful when the stars recently aligned and all three daughters were gathered together at the family home, a rambling, treasure-filled villa in Wellington.

“We were there to celebrate Mum’s beautiful new book An Eccentric History in Batik, which is just beautiful,” a proud Tandi tells the Weekly.

Full of stunning images, Dinah’s book doubles as a history of New Zealand’s counterculture, taking readers on a journey through the eclectic art she created with her partner, the late Tony Burton, who was also an artist and actor.