Source: Auckland Council
The vibrant cityscape of Tāmaki Makaurau has seen a rise in the presence of Māori design and art in its urban environment in recent years, a result of the ongoing efforts by the Auckland Council group to ensure the stories and identity of mana whenua are visibly reflected and felt in the city centre.
This exciting shift is being celebrated through the unveiling of ten new artworks on the pages of ‘Te Paparahi Toi Māori’ the Auckland Art Walk guide, which brings Māori culture and history to life in the city’s public spaces for Aucklanders and tourists to explore.
For the online walking guide of Te Paparahi Toi Māori, visit ArtNow.
“This growing collection of Māori art serves as a reminder of the rich cultural history that underpins our city,” says Councillor Kerrin Leoni.
“I encourage Aucklanders and visitors to explore these meaningful creative expressions in the city’s urban landscape and to reflect on the importance of te ao Māori in shaping modern Tāmaki Makaurau.”
Here are 10 of the new must-see toi Māori (Māori artworks) in Auckland’s city centre, recently added to ‘Te Paparahi Toi Māori’:
Waimaraha, Myers Park, Auckland – photo David St George.
1. Waimahara, 2024 – A Captivating Display of Light and Sound
Waimahara, an extraordinary interactive new Māori artwork in Myers Park, springs to life with mesmerising light and sound displays in response to special waiata.
If you sing a special waiata into a sensor, the artwork listens and responds, accompanying you with an awe-inspiring display of light and sound.
Commissioned by Auckland Council, this unique creation by artist Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Hāua, Ngāti Manu), technology experts IION, and skilled composers features two original waiata for the project.
To visit Waimahara and other art works close by, click here .
Te Kōmititanga, Queen Street, Auckland.
2. Te Kōmititanga, 2020 – The Merging of Waters and People
Located in the city’s largest public square, Te Kōmititanga, meaning ‘to mix’ or ‘to merge’ was gifted by local hapū Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei as a powerful symbol of the convergence of people and waters. Situated where the Waitematā Harbour and Te Waihorotiu (The Waihorotiu Stream) once met, this bustling public space boasts 137,000 basalt pavers woven in a harakeke (flax) mat pattern, entwining pedestrians by train, bus, and ferry into the cultural and environmental heritage of the area.
To visit Te Kōmititanga and other art works close by, click here.
Te Wharekura, Quay Street, Auckland.
3. Te Wharekura, 2023 – A Treasure Box of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei
The 108-year-old heritage kiosk next to the Tāmaki Makaurau downtown ferry terminal has been repurposed into a cultural and marine education space to create a new destination on the increasingly beautiful waterfront.
Te Wharekura (house of learning) is a waka huia (treasure box) for local hapū, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, offering a fusion of physical and digital taonga toi (artworks) and a rich collection of mana whenua histories and culture. Visitors can explore the environmental challenges of the Waitematā through interactive displays and engage with hapū members onsite who guide the learning experience.
To visit Te Wharekura and other art works close by, click here .
Te Tōangaroa, Tangihua Street to Tapora Lane, Auckland.
4. Te Tōangaroa Mural Collection, 2021-2024 – Telling Stories of Place
This captivating mural collection celebrates the deep connection of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to te taiao (the environment) of Tāmaki and depicts the importance of welcoming different cultures and diversity. Each of the six powerful murals are imbued with symbolism—from the dragging and mooring of ancestral waka, to the star constellations and tohu (signs) of te taiao in guiding the kaiurungi (steerer) on the waka journey into the future, to resilient wildlife like the kawau bird—reminding all who view it of the unwavering whakapapa (genealogy) and wairua (spirit) from the Māori ancestors to their descendants today.
To visit Te Tōangaroa Mural Collection and other art works close by, click here
5. Te Nukuao, 2020 – A Shelter of Both Passage and Pause
Located in Wynyard Quarter, Te Nukuao (shelter), draws inspiration from the last remaining customary Māori sail, Te Rā, to reference the journeys, waka and people from past and present connected to this area. This award-winning shading structure, which recalls the double-hulled waka hourua, serves as both a cultural marker of the mana (authority) of tangata whenua over Tāmaki Makaurau, and as a shelter of welcome for all.
Designed by artist Tessa Harris (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki), this artwork connects Aucklanders to the city’s rich ancestral maritime history.
To visit Te Nukuao and other art works close by, click here.
Papatūānuku, Halsey Street & Tīramarama Way, Auckland.
6. Papatūānuku, 2021 – Celebrating the Earth Mother
Papatūānuku (Mother Earth), a vibrant contemporary-art glass installation, reflects the ever-changing colours of the seasons as guided by the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). The glass poi of the artwork represents spiritual messengers, while the vibrant wall colour reflects the energy of Tama-nui-te-rā (the sun) and the ahikāroa (long-burning fires) of artist Mei Hill’s hapū, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, in extending manaakitanga (generosity) to all people in Tāmaki Makaurau. The work celebrates the natural world while honouring the whakapapa of mana whenua.
To visit Papatūanuku and other art works close by, click here.
Te Maharatanga o Ngā Wai, Wellesley Street West & Sale Street, Auckland.
7. Te Maharatanga o Ngā Wai, 2021 – A Tribute to Māui and the Waters
Te Maharatanga o Ngā Wai (remembering our waters) is a homage to the stream that once flowed through this site before the colonial settlement of Auckland. This 6.4-metre carved pou (post) commemorates the Māori demigod Māui, whose stories are central to Māori narratives.
The sculpture, featuring three key tales of Māui, not only serves as a pou recognising wai as taonga (treasure), the source of life, and vital for our collective wellbeing, but also as a focal point for pōhiri (ceremonial welcomes) and other official theatre events, reflecting Māori cosmology, language and history in the public realm.
To visit Te Maharatanga o Ngā Wai (remembering our waters) and other art works close by, click here
Whakaako Kia Whakaora, Corner Gundry Street & Karangahape Road, Auckland.
8. Whakaako Kia Whakaora / Educate to Liberate, 2021 – Honouring the Polynesian Panthers
This mural honours the historical significance of the Polynesian Panthers in Auckland. With powerful references to social justice, it connects the local struggle for equality with the broader movement for civil rights, reflecting on the ongoing fight for Māori and Pacific rights and freedoms alike.
The Polynesian Panthers were formed in Auckland in June 1971, moulded in the shape of the Black Panthers, in response to the marginalisation and discrimination experienced by the Pacific community.
To visit Whakaako Kia Whakaora / Educate to Liberate, and other art works close by, click here.
Tūrama Kaitiaki, Aotea Square, Auckland.
9. Tūrama, Kaitiaki, 2022 – Celebrating Light, Guardians and Matariki
Tūrama (light), the hugely popular series of six large-scale illuminated art installations lights up Queen Street to celebrate Matariki (the Māori new year).
Tūrama explores the role of kaitiaki (guardians) in protecting the environment. Representing the guardian figure Horotiu, this 9-metre-high artwork reminds all of us to look after the Waihorotiu valley and river, now buried under Queen Street, whose domain Horotiu protects.
Tūrama was created by Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Haua, Ngāti Manu), Ataahua Papa (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Mahuta), Phil Wihongi (Ngāti Hine) and Angus Muir Design.
To visit Tūrama (light), and other art works close by, click here .
Te Mata Topaki, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland.
10. Te Mata Topaki, 2020 – A Sculptural Pier Connecting People to Waitematā
Te Mata Topaki (to hover over the headland) is a striking, award-winning 30-meter sculptural pier designed by Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) that juts out into the Waitematā Harbour. Inspired by the taurapa (stern of a waka) lying on its side, mata – both obsidian and a tip or headland; and topaki – to hover like a bird, this lookout connects both key destinations and people to the water.
To visit Te Mata Topaki and other art works close by, click here.
‘Te Paparahi Toi Māori’ provides a walking-guide to over 80 sites of public art, architectural design, and historical sites across Tāmaki Makaurau helping to ensure that tangata whenua (local people) see themselves and their culture in the modern landscape.
For the online walking guide of Te Paparahi Toi Māori, visit ArtNow.
To get a physical guide of Te Paparahi Toi Māori, email barbara.holloway@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz, or visit any of the sites listed below:
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Auckland Art Gallery, Wellesley Street East
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Central City Library, 44-46 Lorne Street
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Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place
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Auckland Council office foyer, 135 Albert Street
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Te Wharekura, 117 Quay Street