Waharoa

1989

Selwyn Muru

Accessible

Type

  • Sculpture
  • Waharoa

Medium

  • Copper
  • Paint
  • Paua shell
  • Wood

Dimensions

  • H7000 x W10,132 x D620mm

Selwyn Muru (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri), ‘Waharoa’ (1990/2010), Aotea Square, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Image: Bronwyn Holloway-Smith, Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand, 2021

1989–Current

Aotea Square facing Queen Street, CBD, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Artists
Credit

Auckland Council Art Collection

Associated Artwork Organisation(s)

Description

Large macrocarpa gateway to Aotea Square.

"The aim of this waharoa (gateway) is to welcome and embrace manuhiri (visitors) to Aotea Square. I chose the wood as the medium because it already has mauri (lifeforce) of its own that would exude warmth in an enviornment dominated by steel, glass, and stone."

~ Selwyn Muru cited in Tara Werner et al. Aotea Centre : Works of Art. Centre 1992: 43.

Update, May 2024: Auckland Council are currently assessing the condition of Selwyn Muru’s Waharoa. It is more than 30 years old. If you are visiting Aotea Square, you will notice the five carvings at the top of the arch have been removed. These are being examined and may need some restoration work. They will be back in place in August 2024.

See also: