Peata Larkin
Artworks
Anei! This is what it all comes down to: the artworks. Font formed in mid-2023 with an ambitious 10-year horizon. We plan to bring a suite of contemporary public art to Tauranga’s city centre, offering the public free access to significant artworks which enhance the experience of living in this beautiful city. Our first artwork was revealed at a dawn naming and blessing ceremony on Nov 15, 2024.
Rauhea
Peata Larkin
Title Rauhea
Artist Peata Larkin
Year 2024
Location Red Square
Materials Laser-cut stainless steel, corten steel
Dimensions 4000mm x 7100mm
Weight 7 ton — including 30kg of welding wire
Manufacturing 1,000+ hours — including 5 days for laser and waterjet cutting
Ngā mihi
Font Tauranga Public Art Trust was formed in 2023 to bring contemporary public art to the city centre. The trustees are a group of locals keen to ignite and nourish the creative pulse of Tauranga through a suite of iconic, landmark works.
This inaugural commission was made possible through the support of TECT Community Trust and Tauranga City Council, partnership with mana whenua, an early contribution from Holland Beckett, encouragement galore from Sonya Korohina, the expertise of our curatorial advisors Serena Bentley, Karl Chitham and Julie Paama-Pengelly, and suppliers and partners including Liz Cooper, Longveld, Dscribe Media, Area Design, Hannah Wynn, BCD, CSL, Brookfield New World, McLeod Cranes, Cooney Lees Morgan, Ingham Mora, Falafel Metro and Absolute Party Hire.
Whiria te tāngata — to weave the people together
“It has been a privilege to create this tāraitanga alongside Longveld’s engineers. It took a village to bring this project to life and I feel blessed to be part of this kaupapa. I believe that the presence of Toi Māori in our urban spaces, in traditional or contemporary form, creates kotahitanga, strength and unity in our communities. As people pass through this space, I would love them to look, touch it and ask what it means, to talk about it and share their knowledge with others, to sit and ponder the raranga (Māori weaving) and abstract patterns. These symbols uphold valuable cultural knowledge, maintaining links between our natural and spiritual worlds.
“This mahi toi was created in honour of the mana whenua of Tauranga Moana and the whenua it sits upon, deep history to acknowledge and celebrate. It is essential to me that there is a clear visual line straight through to the moana, to commemorate the iwi that presided on the hill above and beyond, and the natural flow from the top that nourished everything below, including wetlands and a natural spring.
“The overall Kaokao pattern symbolises protection and strength. Weaving was and is a skill predominantly practiced by wāhine — I pay homage to our Wāhine Toa, past and present. The circular form was inspired by the trunk of a tree. Chiefs would tie their waka to tree stumps, alluding to the translation of Tauranga as resting place or safe anchorage. I come from the Bay of Plenty and I’ve always loved visiting Tauranga since very young, so to have the honour of creating an artwork for this rohe is incredible.
“Mauri ora, Peata Larkin”
About the artist
Peata Larkin (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) was born in Rotorua and now lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau. Larkin is a successful painter and has created a number of striking public art projects, including ANZ tower lightbox 2013, NZICC spine wall 2016-2024, Westfield Newmarket 2018/19, Park Hyatt lightbox Auckland Viaduct 2019, and was part of Boon Sculpture trail Kirikiriroa, 2024.
Larkin’s work is held in the collections of Memphis Museum of Fine Arts, USA, Rotorua Museum Arts Trust, Pataka Art + Museum, Waikato University and Massey University. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam, Auckland University and Master of Fine Arts Degree from RMIT, Melbourne University, and is represented by Two Rooms in Auckland and Milford Galleries, Dunedin and Queenstown.