Community arts

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Water sculpture

Past projects in the Maungakiekie area

RAW local arts project

Young people from the Oranga Community Group and members of a church youth group made up the team working with artist Sarah Dutt. Three sculptures were created using driftwood collected on a trip to Port Waikato, greenery from around Onehunga, and building materials sourced from a local hardware shop.

These were attached to two circular pontoons and floated in the Onehunga Bay Reserve basin. Each sculpture represented different themes related to life journeys, the local geography, the land and sea from the past through to the future.

Water sculpture

Onehunga Square public artwork commission

Before building began on the new Onehunga community centre and library, a group from the community and Auckland City explored ways in which artworks could enhance the new building, and a reference group was then set up to progress the idea.

Expressions of interest were received from professional artists in March 2003, and public voting decided the successful artwork. Tongan artist, Filipe Tohi, a well-known sculptor of wood, stone and steel from New Plymouth (with family in Onehunga) had the winning design.

The original design brief asked that the artwork reflects local themes like historical portage routes, the Manukau harbour and industrial developments. The three-metre tall structure features a lalava (lashing) pattern on a 3D steel sculpture. The lalava is a metaphor for the DNA threads of the local people.

The $70,000 artwork will be erected outside the new Onehunga Library and Community Centre, on the corner of Church and Upper Municipal Streets in Onehunga.

The sculpture unveiling was combined with the first birthday celebrations for the new community centre and library on 21 February 2004.


'Hautaha' (coming together) unveiling Saturday 21 February 2004 - Filipe Tohi, John Banks and Bridget Graham	Pacific Island themed sculpture - Hautaha