This striking 3.6m tall cast bronze sculpture has a strong and evocative presence in the Alice Wylie Reserve. Surrounded by a small outcrop of volcanic rock, it stands near the gently curving path between Burch Street and New North Road, Ōwairaka Mount Albert.

To mark the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in Aotearoa/New Zealand in 1993, the Mount Albert Women's Memorial Committee approached artist Christine Hellyar to create a bronze sculpture in recognition of the women of Mount Albert. Hellyar cast the original sculpture on site at Alice Wylie Reserve, digging a sand mould and adding vegetation and a large basalt rock. The process created a richly textured surface.

After the 1993 statue was damaged beyond repair in May 2022, Hellyar was commissioned by Auckland Council to create a replacement. The remains of the original sculpture were scanned to create a digital model which was used to make the mould for a new casting.

*Ōwairaka* 2024, is anchored in basalt rock, connecting the sculpture to the volcanic rock underneath and the area's long history. Ōwairaka / Mount Albert erupted 120,000 years ago.

Ōwairaka

This artwork forms a facade against the Mount Albert Community and Recreation Centre, referencing the scoria walls found throughout Mount Albert. The wall is made from large sheets of laser cut Corten steel, that has been painted black with a gloss finish.

This work is one of three artworks commissioned for the Mount Albert Recreation Precinct in 2003, along with [*Harakeke Balustrade*](/artworks/3316) and [*Tree*](/artworks/3270).

Artist Caroline Rothwell borrows from the original natural environment by depicting flax, scoria rocks and a tree. Each is constructed from the same contemporary urban material – stainless steel.

Scoria Wall

This bright red, three-dimensional cut-out tree stands five metres in height and is nestled in the Mt Albert Community Centre grounds at the back of Rocket Park. The work playfully reflects the forms and shapes found in the surrounding natural environment, even though it is made of steel.

This work is one of three artworks commissioned for the Mt Albert Recreation Precinct in 2003, along with [*Harakeke Balustrade*](/artworks/3316) and [*Scoria wall*](/artworks/3271).

Artist Caroline Rothwell borrows from the original natural environment by depicting flax, scoria rocks and a tree and constructs them in a contemporary urban material – stainless steel.



"At once almost childlike in form but also monumental – and to a degree abstract through the process of reflecting shapes – *Tree* becomes a playful rupture in the landscape, which asks the public to take another look at the ordinary objects around them," says Rothwell.

Tree

On the side of the Mount Albert Community and Recreation Centre is a blue powder-coated steel railing, laser cut with a harakeke (flax) design. The harakeke fencing highlights the wetland concept in the landscaping and references an existing historical feature of the landscape.

This work is one of three artworks commissioned for the Mount Albert Recreation Precinct in 2003, along with [*Scoria Wall*](/artworks/3271) and [*Tree*](/artworks/3270).

Artist Caroline Rothwell borrows from the original natural environment by depicting harakeke, scoria rocks and a tree. Each is constructed from the same contemporary urban material – stainless steel.

Christine Hellyar

Ōwairaka

"He whakanui tēnei tārai i ngā mahi a ngā wāhine i mahi rā hei painga mō te hapori … This sculpture is a tribute to the women of the Ōwairaka / Mount Albert communities. "

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