This was Grant Palliser’s first public sculpture.

A plaque installed with the work states that “This sculpture was presented to Nelson City Council by TrustBank Canterbury Community Trust on 14 December 1996”.

“ ‘The Oracle - The future is in our hands' operates on several levels; the idea of seizing opportunities and not allowing them to slip through our fingers. The hand itself represents Nelson; it is a nurturing hand that describes the geography of the Nelson Region with plains, bays and surrounding mountains. Furthermore Nelson has traditionally been a centre for handmade arts and crafts such as weaving and pottery. The local Tangata Whenua worked and commanded the local argillite (pakohe) to form stone tools. Palliser combined all these qualities and made a sculpture that symbolises Nelson.”

Source: Grant Palliser (The Prow)

Grant Palliser says of the above, that this symbolism “comes with a proviso, represented in the sculpture by the snail (the native Powelliphanta species), that progress can be positive, however, there is often a cost. In this case the native snails losing their habitat to the exotic forestry. The snails represent an environmental warning.”

Source: conversation between PAHANZ and Grant Palliser, June 2025

See also:

• Public art of Nelson The Prow)

• Grant Palliser (The Prow)

• Oracle — Grant Palliser (artist's website)