At dawn on Friday 15 November, a new artwork for Tauranga city was unveiled in Red Square.
Rauhea by artist Peata Larkin (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), commissioned by Font Public Art Trust, is 7 tons of laser-cut stainless steel and corten steel, towering over Red Square on Spring St.
Peata says: “It has been a privilege to create this tāraitanga alongside Longveld’s engineers. It took a village to bring this project to life and I feel blessed to be part of this kaupapa. I believe that the presence of Toi Māori in our urban spaces, in traditional or contemporary form, creates kotahitanga, strength and unity in our communities. As people pass through this space, I would love them to look, touch it and ask what it means, to talk about it and share their knowledge with others, to sit and ponder.
“This mahi toi was created in honour of the mana whenua of Tauranga Moana and the whenua it sits upon, deep history to acknowledge and celebrate. It is essential to me that there is a clear visual line straight through to the moana, to commemorate the iwi that presided on the hill above and beyond, and the natural flow from the top that nourished everything below, including wetlands and a natural spring.
“I come from the Bay of Plenty and I’ve always loved visiting Tauranga since very young, so to have the honour of creating an artwork for this rohe is incredible.”
Peata was born in Rotorua and now lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau. She is a successful painter and has created a number of striking public art projects, including ANZ tower lightbox 2013, NZICC spine wall 2016-2024, Westfield Newmarket 2018/19, Park Hyatt lightbox Auckland Viaduct 2019, and was part of Boon Sculpture trail Kirikiriroa, 2024. Peata’s work is held in the collections of Memphis Museum of Fine Arts, USA, Rotorua Museum Arts Trust, Pataka Art + Museum, Waikato University and Massey University. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam, Auckland University and Master of Fine Arts Degree from RMIT, Melbourne University, and is represented by Two Rooms in Auckland and Milford Galleries, Dunedin and Queenstown.
Font Tauranga Public Art Trust was formed in 2023 to bring contemporary public art to Tauranga’s city centre. The trustees are a group of locals keen to ignite and nourish the creative pulse of Tauranga through a suite of iconic, landmark works.
This inaugural commission was made possible through the support of TECT Community Trust and Tauranga City Council, an early contribution from Holland Beckett, encouragement galore from Sonya Korohina, the expertise of our curatorial advisors Serena Bentley, Karl Chitham and Julie Paama-Pengelly, and suppliers and partners including Liz Cooper, Longveld, Dscribe Media, Area Design, Hannah Wynn, BCD, CSL, Brookfield New World, McLeod Cranes, Cooney Lees Morgan, Falafel Metro and Absolute Party Hire.
