Mauri stone laid for new Hundertwasser building
A ceremony marking the customary laying of the Mauri stone at the centre of the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Ma¯ ori Art Gallery build took place last Friday.
Around 40 people including Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones, Whanga¯rei MP Shane Reti, mayor Sheryl Mai, other local leaders and members of the project team, gathered at Whanga¯rei’s Town Basin for the pre-dawn ceremony.
The Mauri stone – a taonga from te rohe o Te Parawhau – represents the life force or the essence not only of the building but also of the important work that will be conducted there in the future. The stones are used by Ma¯ ori to prepare people or places to receive mana.
The stone has been covered in earth and the concrete foundation will be poured over it when the time comes.
The Hundertwasser centre is expected to attract as many as
202,000 visitors per year and help create more than 30 fulltime jobs, plus 60 more during the two-year construction phase. The completion date is set as the end of
2020.
It will be the last building in the world to be envisaged by the renowned Austrian artist Friedrich Hundertwasser.
Driven by volunteers it has been 25 years in its conception and half of the $26.5 million cost has been raised by the community.
Hundertwasser project spokesperson Greg Hay said it was a significant moment in the life of the project.
‘‘It is progressing as planned and actually a little ahead of schedule.’’
He said they were halfway through placing the 75 piles in the ground and had about a month to go until this work was complete.
‘‘After that it is boxing up for foundations to be poured in concrete.
‘‘This will provide the building footprint for us to carry on all other work. Things are going really well.’’