Fearon Park’s Maori art injection
Mt Roskill’s Fearon Park has had an injection of Maori culture.
A five piece sculpture installation at the entrance of of the park was funded by Auckland Council’s Regional Public Art budget.
The cost of the artwork was $100,000 with an additional $35,000 spent on landscaping.
Local iwi were consulted on the project and also helped select artist, Chris Bailey.
Bailey completed the artwork entitled Te Huinga in July.
It features a number of different types of stone and aimed to honour the way Maori once utilised local materials from the nearby volcano, Bailey said.
‘‘This was reflected in the parepare (stone fortifications) that once ringed the mountain of Puketapapa and today are seen in the many local contemporary stone walls nearby.’’
On a daily basis, Maori utilised the local stone to create tools and build structures, Bailey said.
Puketapapa Local Board chair Harry Doig said the work ‘‘blends in beautifully to the entrance’’ and was a welcome addition to the park. A stone named Te Toka Tu Whenua once stood on the slopes of Three Kings, before it was vandalised and moved to Cornwall Park.
‘‘I hope this work gives the people of Puketapapa pride in the strong productive history their home area holds,’’ Bailey said.