Kupe Group

1940

William Thomas Trethewey

Hidden (in storage)

Type

  • Sculpture

Medium

  • Plaster

Trethewey, William Thomas, 1892-1956. Sculpture by William Trethewey at the Centennial Exhibition, Rongotai, Wellington, depicting Kupe, his wife, and a tohunga. Deste, Eileen, 1909-1986 :Collection of prints and negatives. Ref: 1/2-004298-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23161462

1999–Current

Held in storage by Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.

1940–1999

In the foyer of Wellington Railway Station, Bunny Street, CBD, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington

1940–1940

1940 Centennial Exhibition, Rongotai, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington

Artists

Description

The statue depicts Kupe, the legendary Maori discoverer of New Zealand, his wife Hine Te Aparangi and tohunga (ritual expert) Peka-Hourangi. It is the sole remant of a commission for the 1940 New Zealand Centennial Exhibition. In 1999 a replica was cast in bronze and unveiled on the Wellington Waterfront in 2000.