Fred Graham
Kaitiaki
"Dark against the sky, this enormous swooping bird is a powerful guardian of the land."
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Description
Looming as a great kāhu pōkere (black hawk) this sculpture commands its place in Pukekawa / Auckland Domain. The kāhu pōkere is a kaitiaki (guardian) symbol that features in the histories of Ngāti Whātua and Tainui. In Māori lore manu (birds) were the tangata whenua (first inhabitants) of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and were regarded as its kaitiaki.
Fred Graham's Kaitiaki, made of steel plate, looks across to Pukekaroa, a small scoria cone west of the nearby Auckland Museum. In 1940 Princess Te Puea Hērangi planted a tōtara tree on this cone to commemorate an 1828 peace treaty and settlement agreement signed by Ngāpuhi, from the north, and local iwi (tribal people) Ngāti Whātua. The Domain's Māori name Pukekawa (hill of bitter memories) refers to the battles fought by these two iwi.
Location
Pukekawa | Auckland Domain on hill south of Tamaki Paenga Hira | Auckland War Memorial Museum, Parnell
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