Statues - Hither & Thither

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Auckland
Auckland

Quay Street / Queen Street

Maori Warrior in Kaitaka Cloak

Molly Macalister
1967

Description

Bronze statue.

Information Sign

A MAORI FIGURE IN A KAITAKA CLOAK
sculptured by molly macalister

Annotation

The statue was commissioned by Auckland City in 1964 and completed in 1967. The 3m-tall figure is enveloped in an artistic interpretation of a traditional Māori cloak. The warrior looks to the horizon holding a mere, a symbol of peace, in his right hand. It was intended that the welcoming figure would seem to greet visitors and new settlers who, at that time, arrived on passenger liners that docked at the wharves in downtown Auckland.
When the design was first unveiled it generated widespread debate as to the form such a figure should take. Some politicians voiced their preference for a more traditional tourist image of a Māori in a fighting pose wearing a grass skirt. Macalister's is a more sophisticated design, representing the nobility and dignity of Māori in a majestic figure akin to Rodin's Monument to Balzac in Paris.

Sculptor

Molly Macalister (Invercargill 1920- 1979), sculptor, active in Auckland (Biography).

Sources & Information

The Auckland Gallery Guide, Sculpture d2.
Auckland City Art Gallery Festival Exhibition 1966, Recent New Zealand Sculpture (PDF on-line).
Auckland City Council, The waterfront sculpture walk

Locatie (S 36°50'36" - E 174°46'1") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: nz011; Photograph: 2 February 2008
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
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© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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