Possum Bourne

Standing in a casual pose with hands on hips as though surveying the world around him, this life size bronze memorial to champion New Zealand rally car driver and Pukekohe legend can be found in Pukekohe's King Street.

George 'Possum' Bourne, New Zealand's most well-known and successful rally driver, was tragically killed when he was practising the circuit for the 2003 Race To The Sky event that was held annually in the Cardrona Valley from 1998 to 2007. Race to The Sky director Grant Aitken originally commissioned the statue which stood on a stone plinth overlooking the circuit in the Pisa Range, Wanaka. A new home was found for the statue after the Race to The Sky events ended. It was felt that the sculpture would receive more exposure and admiration in Possum's hometown of Pukekohe than in the Cardrona Valley.

Wanaka based artist Minhal Al Halabi has produced a number of public commissions including life size memorial bronze sculptures of Les Harvey, the creator of Parnell Village and Queenstown's first European settler William Rees.