The 1.7m statue is one of 10 hoiho sculptures that have been placed around the region as part of a campaign by the Otago Shore and Land Trust to raise awareness of the plight of the yellow-eyed penguin.
The campaign — titled Hikoi o te Taoka, which means March of the Treasure — is described by the Otago Shore and Land Trust as a ‘‘powerful public art protest across the South Island, uniting communities and visitors through large-scale art to protect one of the world’s rarest penguins’’.
Otago Shore and Land trustee Jerad Haldan said the hoiho was quietly disappearing from our coastline.
‘‘This hikoi is about giving the hoiho a voice, through art that stops people in their tracks, and reminds us that there is still time to act, if we choose to,’’ he said.
The Trust reported that fewer than 400 hoiho remained, with habitat loss, disease, warming seas and overfishing threatening their survival.
The Wanaka penguin, titled What the Hoiho’s Dreams Are Made Of, was created by Dunedin artist Frank Gordon, and nine other artists have also designed hoiho statues that have been placed in public spaces around Otago.
The initiative aims to raise awareness and funds for the protection and preservation of the species.
The penguin will remain outside Puzzling World until early April when it will be taken to Dunedin and displayed together with the other statues at various locations in the city.
The public is encouraged to make a donation to the Otago Shore and Land Trust, which enables them to vote for their favourite statue.
The penguin with the most votes will be awarded The People’s Choice and gifted to Tuhura Otago Museum to display.
A live auction for the remaining hoiho statues will take place on May 8 at Tuhura Otago Museum and online.
