Maori Chieftain Statue
S 36° 50.597 E 174° 46.014
60H E 300886 N 5920184
A larger-than-life Maori statue in a Kaitaka Cloak stands in downtown Auckland.
Waymark Code: WMQBK5
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 01/30/2016
Views: 3
This Maori statue by Molly McAlister was erected in Quay Street, Auckland in 1967. Five years later Hone Tuwhare wrote a poem addressed to the statue, mixing Maori language with everyday English - available on the internet.
A pivotal work that demonstrates changing attitudes of the 1960s, A Maori Figure in a Kaitaka Cloak was the first public sculpture in New Zealand to be commissioned from a female artist. Macalister's design met with considerable controversy, many arguing for a more stereotypical tourist image of a Maori warrior in a fighting pose.
Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Maori Warrior 1964-1966
Figure Type: Human
Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Molly McAlister
Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 1967
Materials used: Bronze, 3225 mm
Location: Queen Elizabeth Square, Auckland
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