Maori Warrior, by Molly Macalister (1967)

A mid day run today, which took me past the harbour end of Queen Street where this statue is placed. This was the first public sculpture commissioned from a woman sculptor in Auckland. There was a lot of controversy, related to the design, the height (more than 3 m tall), and the placement in lower Queen Street in front of the Post Office.

Initially it was erected on a high plinth, and it appears that this led to the head being seen as too small for the body. With the redevelopment of Queen Elizabeth Square, the sculture was placed as envisioned by Ms Macalister. Standing on the ground, and facing the harbour to greet new arrivals.

The sculpture was commissioned in 1964, and took three years to develop and complete. The warrior is wearing a Kaitaka (a chieftain's cloak), and he is holding a mere (once a club used as a weapon, and now a symbol of peace). The sculptor's intention was that the welcoming figure would greet visitors and new arrivals who (in the 1960s) tended to arrive by boats at the wharves in downtown Auckland.

Apparently some politicians would have preferred a fighting pose. This figure is more sophisticated, representing the nobility and dignity of Maori in a majestic figure akin to Rodin's Monument to Balzac in Paris.

Information about the sculpture and its development can be found here.

The two persons seated nearby, and the suitcase to the left of the statue, show that this is very much a public space to which all (including new arrivals) are welcomed. It rewards a closer look.