The sculpture of the Moa Waewae Taumaha, or heavy-footed moa (Pachyornis elephantopus), installed at the Test St carpark on Cape Wanbrow (Motukutuku), was unveiled yesterday.
Designed by local artist Trish Shirley, the sculpture is 1.8m tall at the shoulder and draws on the fossil record for the moa.
It is the result of hundreds of hours of research and collaboration with experts and paleontologists.
"These beautiful and unique birds once strode across our landscape and it’s been a pleasure to create something based on the fossil record, with accuracy and the evidence integral to the sculpture," Mrs Shirley said.
Addressing a large crowd at the unveiling yesterday, she said the project's focus was on reconnecting with lost natural heritage, art, community engagement, science, habitat restoration and learning about local history, particularly the significance of the first moa discovered in the area.
The sculpture is the first in a series depicting the area’s ancient fauna, part of a project driven by the Motukutuku Ancient Cape Wanbrow Project, a group formed by a core group of volunteers focused on bringing art, science and conservation together for the community to enjoy — as part of a long-term aim to re-wild the cape.
Chairman David Wilson was grateful to all those who had contributed.
"Thanks go to the hundreds of hours of volunteer labour which have been put into this, the Waitaki District Council for supporting us with Better Off Funding and helping navigate red-tape, Te Runanga o Moeraki for embracing the project and recognising its cultural significance and Apex Engineering who’ve got above and beyond to bring this idea to life.
"This has been a project that has been in the development stages for a number of years and today represents a day of significance for those that are involved."
Runanga representative Mani Malloy-Sharplin said the day was "very significant" for mana whenua.
"We call it a pou, a statue, the representative of the culture and the significance of this area that's been lost through with the changing of land and culture over time."
The intergenerational initiative will continue to seek support for re-wilding the cape with native plants as well as sponsorship for the remaining sculptures.
Overall, the project intended to create 15 full-size steel, "accurately to scale", sculptures depicting extinct wildlife of Oamaru and Waitaki; installing story boards depicting the cultural, ecological, historical and recreational values of the cape; continuing the planting of native shrubs; supporting and expanding predator control; as well as promoting wildlife corridors throughout the district to encourage native birdlife.
