Kaitiaki (sculpture)
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| Kaitiaki | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kaitiaki in the Auckland Domain | |
| Artist | Fred Graham |
| Completion date | 2004 |
| Medium | Black powder-coated steel |
| Dimensions | 11.805 m × 5 m × 2 m (464.8 in × 200 in × 79 in) |
| Location | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 36°51′46″S 174°46′35″E / 36.86271°S 174.77649°E | |
| Owner | Edmiston Trust Collection and Auckland Domain Sculpture Walk |
| Website | Edmiston Trust page |
Kaitiaki is a public sculpture located in the Auckland Domain in Auckland, New Zealand, created by New Zealand sculptor Fred Graham. The 11.8-metre-tall (39 ft) piece depicts a kāhu pōkere (harrier hawk), a bird that features as a guardian in Ngāti Whātua and Tainui oral histories. Developed as a part of the Auckland Domain Sculpture Walk, the sculpture was unveiled in 2004.
At the turn of the 21st century, the Outdoor Sculpture 2001 Incorporated Society was formed to develop a sculpture walk through the Auckland Domain. The society installed eight sculptures in the Domain between 2004 and 2005, including Kaitiaki by Fred Graham, who was a member of the society.[1] The piece was commissioned by the society in collaboration with the Edmiston Trust,[2] and supported financially by the New Zealand Lotteries Board Millennium Fund and by the Auckland City Council.[1][3]
Design and construction
Kaitiaki (English: "Guardian")[2] is an 11.8-metre-high (39 ft) black powder-coated steel sculpture that depicts a kāhu pōkere (harrier hawk).[2][4] Graham chose a kāhu pōkere for the piece due to its appearance in Ngāti Whātua and Tainui oral histories as a guardian that was present in Aotearoa New Zealand prior to the first inhabitants.[3][4]
The sculpture is located on Pukekawa, one of the two volcanic hills in Auckland Domain, and looks towards the second, Pukekaroa. Pukekaroa was the location where Te Puea Hērangi planted a tōtara tree, to commemorate the centennial of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi; a location seen as sacred to Graham, who is of Tainui descent.[2][4]