Giant bronze warrior 'will stir Kiwi pride'
By TANYA KATTERNS - The Dominion Post
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It will not rival the Statue of Liberty or come close to the Eiffel Tower, but it will be bigger than Paeroa's L&P bottle and Te Kuiti's shearing statue.
Ngaruawahia in Waikato is poised to join the long list of New Zealand centres with a big statue – a massive bronze Maori warrior is proposed for the junction of the Waikato and Waipa rivers.
The warrior would be one of the biggest bronze statues in the Western world, and is part of an ambitious plan to make Ngaruawahia, the home of the Maori King, the cultural heartland of New Zealand.
It would have a bronze skin two centimetres thick and be supported by an internal steel frame.
The $2 million concept, which has been at least three years in the planning, has the backing of Waikato District Council, though the approval of Maori is yet to be won.
The warrior would be made over an estimated two years by Wellington sculptor Denis Hall.
"We are talking about a massive figure of a man in a crouched position, the biggest human icon figure in Australasia," he said. "The Maori warrior already embodies the way of our culture and our people to the world. While it will be Ngaruawahia's icon, portraying him in a monument of this size will arouse Kiwi pride in a way that no other icon has."
Hall is in China searching for a bronze foundry capable of casting the warrior. He said the statue would stand eight metres tall, weigh in at 30 tonnes and occupy space on the ground at least 10 metres by 10 metres.
"Paris has the Eiffel Tower, New York the Statue of Liberty but they are both embraced by their nations. The Maori warrior could have exactly the same national and international significance."
Ngaruawahia community board chairman Bryce Sherson, who developed the concept, said the warrior made perfect sense for the township.
"This is the centre of the celebration of Maoridom and I would have thought that it would be blatantly obvious what is iconic to this town. We have a lot of history here; this was supposed to be the capital of New Zealand."
Turangawaewae Marae, on the northern bank of the Waikato River, is the official residence of the reigning Maori King, Tuheitia Paki.
Ngaruawahia's representative on the council and Tainui woman Moera Solomon said iwi were disappointed they had not been consulted.
"The plan was taken to the public and displayed in the library but it has never been brought to Tainui. We are not the general public, we are tangata whenua [local people] and it is our tikanga [culture]. We need as a tribe to have a discussion."
Mrs Solomon said though Tainui was not attempting to derail the plan, time was needed for debate and consultation with Maori. "Personally I like the idea but we must make decisions together. Ngaruawahia is a little village and the people are not wealthy. The idea would need to be captured nationally."
The backers of the project and Maori are united in the decision that outside funding would have to be found with no ratepayer money to be allocated.
Whether Tainui provides some of the funding has not been ruled out.
The council will meet a Tainui tribal board next week to begin discussions.
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# 8. As far as "violence" goes, I don't have a problem with Maori doing this sort of thing in a live context, but a large immobile statue in this pose with a weapon does present a rather scary look to it. (Isn't it supposed to?).
I'm sure some of us (especially Maori) would rightfully take pride in it, but the designer is expecting that we will all have huge Kiwi pride in it, and I really can't see that happening. A statue we can all relate to (as per # 6) would be a much better choice, and ought to be the aim of Maori as well.
With this enormous statue, I can imagine kids having nightmares about it, and being scared of driving past! I can also imagine silly people deliberately scaring their kids about it, thereby increasing the anti-Maori feeling which is already too prevalent in some quarters.
All I'm saying is that you should think things through for the betterment of race relations, not just take offence because some people see this image differently to you.
Refering to #8.. Actually i do have a problem with the ABs doing the haka.. I think its embarrasing,insulting and comical.. The haka used to be respected when it was left to the maori ABs. Now anyone does a haka for any reason.."the weathers changed..lets do a haka, Mate i lived in england for 4 years..every kiwi pub i went to was full of drunken kiwis (brown & white) doing hakas all my english freinds thought it was ridiculous.. When something like the haka is exploited as it is it loses all respect & meaning....leave it to respectable events like the passing of Sir Howard.. For your info my grandmother was a maori.RIP. Again...nice $2 million ststue but my kids are still starving....
I think it would be cool. And as for this talk about violence - I bet you moaners have no problem with the Haka performed by the ABs, and I bet you watch at least one CSI, NCIS, SVU etc and even better, when you're overseas you're probably very proud to claim your from the country where the maoris are!
Im sure $2.million could be better spent.."nice statue but my kids are starving". They would have to build a white european statue as well otherwise it would be seen as racism.. Could it be a target for vandalism ??
It is quite arrogant and insulting to come up with this concept without talking to local Maori first.
I am Pakeha and I would not feel proud of this statue. The violent image is the sort of thing that turns people off Maoridom, and would do nothing to improve our race relations. Small children especially would be terrified of this man, and get a bad impression of Maori that would stick in their minds.
A statue that displays a more friendly disposition would be far more sensible and acceptable. Anyone who has seen the statue of Pania in Napier will know that is a good example of a Maori statue we can all really love and feel proud of. If I saw one in a similar pose to the Maori man on NZ's Coat of Arms, that would also make me proud.
Don't make the mistake of assuming that all New Zealanders are proud of Maori, or of the Maori Warrior idea. There is plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. We need ways that make it easier for some of us to understand and accept the Maori way - not large and extremely frightening statues that would only make things worse.
Patricia Roberts www.coolnz.net
Once Were Warriors? I'm just glad I don't live there. Imagine being a tourist having a flat white on a lovely day looking at that. Not a welcoming ambiance.
dumb idea. a maori warrior in fight mode!?! good one waikato district council. gotta love that quote "The Maori warrior already embodies the way of our culture and our people to the world. While it will be Ngaruawahia's icon, portraying him in a monument of this size will arouse Kiwi pride in a way that no other icon has." nooo.
Yes! Lets glorify aggression and war...
Just what New Zealand needs a statue glorifying aggression, war , & conflict. The crouching fighting stance, the angry threatening facial expression & a lethal axe ready to kill, doesn't stir this Kiwi's pride.
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I think the comments are fantastic! Brings about the passion that we all have as NZ'ders frist and foremost. As a Waikato Maori, fluent in Te Reo, and nutured in a caring environment, now living and working in Australia alongside Indigenous Australians, our plight in regards to race relations is in a far better space, there is still lots of work to do, but certainly we are better off than our neighbours here in Aust. I cant see Waikato Tainui being as supportive of this statue? although I do think its deserves acknowledgment for thinking "outside the square". Perhaps a more fitting tribute would be for Waikato Tainui and other wealthy iwi in particular, to contribute in the form of aid funding, education scholarships, and social assistance for our Pacific whanau, who are experiencing hardship at this time. Manaakitia tetehi ki tetehi!