This neon artwork adds a sense of wonder to the Manukau landscape, turning one of its most functional buildings into a monument dedicated to love. Artist Lonnie Hutchinson has adorned the outside of this humble car park in the town centre with two declarations, one in English and one in te reo Māori. Beaming in bright colours of the rainbow and attached to two external stairwells, the artwork reads: I Love You on one side, and Aroha atu, Aroha mai on the other, reminding members of the community that they are welcomed and included. The Māori proverb, 'aroha atu, aroha mai' means 'love received, love returned'.

The rainbow-inspired installation has several layers of meaning. The colours of the rainbow symbolise inclusion, freedom, peace, love and harmony. And in traditional Māori culture, āniwaniwa (rainbows) are a portent of future events.

Hutchinson’s artwork is accompanied by another rainbow-inspired artwork from Reuben Paterson, called [*Me Rongo / Walk in Rainbows*](/artworks/3984). Together they are known as *Night and Day*, with Hutchinson's neon installation representing the night and Paterson's honouring the day.

I Love You / Aroha atu, Aroha mai

Colours of the rainbow are cast onto the stairwell of a central Manukau car park, adorning seven floors of grey, utilitarian space with an interactive display. *Me Rongo / Walk in Rainbows* is a collaboration between Reuben Paterson, one of New Zealand's most dynamic contemporary artists, and Taranaki-based prism maker Walter Foott. Together they developed a giant curtain of hand-cast prisms, using geometry and natural light to enhance the car park's stairwells in a vibrant rainbow.

As well as beautifying the space, the artwork has a functional purpose. Each of the carpark's seven floors has its own theme colour, becoming a subtle wayfinder for those who walk up the stairs.

While the rainbow has long been seen as a symbol of joy and good fortune, it has more recently become representative of inclusion and unconditional love. *Me Rongo / Walk in Rainbows* helps to brighten up the space with another rainbow-inspired artwork from Lonnie Hutchinson, called [*I Love You / Aroha atu, Aroha mai*](/artworks/3918). Together they are known as *Night and Day*, with Hutchinson's neon installation representing the night and Paterson’s honouring the day.

Me Rongo / Walk in Rainbows

A collaborative effort from artists Dion Hitchens (Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou) and Charles Koroneho (Ngā Puhi), the mountain-like shapes in the Civic Square represent the cultural makeup of Manukau, which is mostly Pacific and Māori with new Asian immigrants. The larger form represents Mo'orea, a mountain in Tahiti, and the smaller sculpture a granite outcrop in Southern Asia.



Hitchens and Koroneho cloaked the forms in a contemporary korowai (cloak), made of stainless steel instead of feathers. They wanted to explore the idea that when people migrate they see the new landscape differently, through a lens of their own past experience. Their intention for *Cultural Outcrops* was to add value to the community and provide a sense of pride and ownership in the shared public space.



The work was commissioned in 2005 for the redevelopment of the Manukau Square.





"For me, a successful public art project is inclusive," says Hitchens. "It responds to the environment in scale and in the longevity of materials. It also responds to the community, acknowledging history but looking to the future. Public art adds value by creating personal connection and ownership of the shared public space. This highlights the need for the work to be visually iconic."

Cultural Outcrops

Manukau's ethnic diversity inspired this sculpture that stands over eleven metres tall on the corner of Wiri Station and Great South Roads in Manukau. *He Taonga Hiranga Whakanui Whānau* (a gift to portray the importance of family) was created by artist Dr Richard Shortland Cooper for the millennial celebrations in 2000. The sculpture represents a family unit and as you view the sculpture, you too become part of the family.

The artwork, made of reinforced cement, features five upright forms standing closely together in a group.  The forms are based on designs created by students from nearby schools. The surface is textured by handprints of several generations of the artist's own whānau (family).

The sculpture was originally stone grey but has since been painted green and blue, with motifs carved into the reverse side in different colours.  Also known as the *Manukau Millennium Sculpture*, it won a Creative New Zealand award in 2001.

Lonnie Hutchinson

I Love You / Aroha atu, Aroha mai

"A bright and beautiful declaration of love transforms this parking building in Manukau, with words shining in colours of the rainbow."

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