At the Southern Motorway's East Tamaki off-ramp, a va'a or waka (canoe) marks the entrance to the South Auckland suburb of Ōtara. But this is no ordinary canoe, it's an upended boat standing tall and painted blood-red. The work, by Samoan-born, New Zealand-based artist Fatu Feu'u, was purchased by Ōtara Community Board in 2011, and is a fitting welcome to the neighbourhood, which has a high proportion of Pacific Island residents.  Traditional Pacific symbols feature on the va'a. A frangipani carved into the wood and painted yellow represents the flowers of siapo or tapa cloth, and traditional linear Samoan patterns are etched into the front of the five-metre high artwork.

This sculpture reflects the spiritual and cultural identity of the Samoan people, which is also found in the paintings, woodcuts and lithographs Feu'u is more commonly known for. The red of the sculpture is the colour associated with chiefs in Pacific cultures and the yellow of the flower is the colour used to signify orator status in Samoa. Both are titles Feu'u has been honoured with in his homeland.



"In my culture," Feu'u told *Art New Zealand*, "values are expressed in various forms, religious and traditional. Fa'asamoa values are manifested in the conventions of ava (respect), fa'aloalo (reverence) and alof'a (love compassion and concern). They form the basis of the spiritual and cultural identity of the Samoan people."

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Arching over the entrance to Te Puke ō Tara Community Centre in Ōtara, this traditional Māori carved waharoa (threshold) was specially made for the community centre in 1995. *Gateway* is ornately decorated, painted deep red with black and white painted details.

The striking gateway welcomes visitors to the leisure centre and it was carved by Aronui Trust Carvers. The Aronui Trust was established in the 1990s to provide Auckland-based tertiary education specialising in trades, indigenous studies and hospitality. Artists from the Aronui Trust Carvers collective also contributed carvings to embellish Ōtara's iconic [*Fish Canopy*](/artworks/3750), unveiled in 1995.

Gateway

This printed glass canopy links Ōtara Town Centre’s main square with the western carpark. By day, the modern kōwhaiwhai pattern creates a dappled effect, similar to walking through a grove of trees with shadows moving in the sunlight.



The name of the kōwhaiwhai pattern is a reference to the food of the karaka, said to have been planted around the area of Ōtara Town Centre by Toi Te Huatahi from Reikohu (Chatham Island).



The work reflects on local Māori history and can be seen as a metaphor for the migration and establishment of new cultures in a new land, while also acknowledging the mana whenua (tribe with historic and territorial rights over the land) of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki.

Ngā Kopi o Toi / The Karaka Berries of Toi

This large fish-shaped canopy is a symbol of the Ōtara Town Centre. Reflecting Otara's largely Māori and Polynesian population, the iconic structure was designed by architect Rewi Thompson. The canopy was completed in three stages from 1991 to 1994 and funded by the then Manukau City Council.

The posts supporting the canopy have been painted with Pacific designs and were originally adorned with 13 carvings by young local Māori artists and made at the Aronui Trust and Whaiora Marae. This was the result of an Enterprise Ōtara project which was also funded by the Manukau City Council. The carvings were unveiled in 1995.

Fatu Feu'u

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"Standing proudly at the gateway to Ōtara, this Samoan va’a is marked with traditional Pacific symbols, welcoming people to the neighbourhood."

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