The statue has been a fixture of the town for over 25 years, which far exceeded its initial lifespan of 10 years.
Through community effort, $100,000 was raised to replace the statue and a further $42,000 came from the Ōraka Aparima community board.
Progress league committee member Lana Winders described the milestone as a “remarkable community effort”.
“It’s amazing how resourceful and capable the community is where we live. Once we started harnessing that, it was just incredible.”
She said the first $42,000 the community raised was through quizzes, raffles and merchandise.
“It’s all been good old-fashioned fundraising.”
Mrs Winders said the statue was a “critical part”, of the town’s identity and locals weren’t prepared to lose it.
It was the only surfer statue in New Zealand.
“People associate surfing with places like Hawaii, so what’s this doing in the deep south of New Zealand? It does turn some heads.”
She noted that once the statute was initially established 25 years ago, surfing exploded in Colac Bay and the surrounding area.
“As long as you have a thick enough wetsuit, you’re going to have an awesome experience in the water here.”
The whole process has been a collaboration between the local community and council.
“There was so much willingness to help from the Ōraka Aparima community board and council staff ... to make sure you have the right expertise around you, that’s where council has been instrumental,” Mrs Winders said.
They wanted to honour the existing surfer statue while still allowing creativity.
Mr Owen’s initial concept was “vastly different to the original”, she said.
However, she felt “that was a good sign as it pushed us to explore a different direction”.
This project was one that meant a lot to Mr Owen.
“Colac Bay Ōraka is a place that holds deep personal meaning to me. I have been surfing there for more than 30 years.”
He described it as a place with a lot of memories, where friendships and his connection to the ocean were forged.
Mr Owen will be working in collaboration with Zac Kean from Invercargill based firm Advanced Engineering in regards to materials and the physical fabrication of the statue.
It is expected to take about eight months to complete.
