The restored Te Arawa Soldiers’ Memorial will be unveiled 92 years to the day that it was originally erected in 1927.
The memorial was erected to commemorate Te Arawa men who fought and lost their lives in World War One (1914-1918).
First unveiled on 28 February 1927 by HRH the Duke of York (later King George VI), the memorial includes the names of 35 Te Arawa men.
To commemorate the occasion, a dawn ceremony will take place at 6am this Thursday on the corner of Queen's Drive and Oruawhata Drive.
Making the moulds of the pou base, 2018. Photograph courtesy New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute
The service will be conducted to bless the rededicated memorial and several people will assist in the unveiling including a representative from the Te Arawa Returned Services League.
Experts from the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) restored the original wooden eight tekoteko and four ‘wheku form’ pou that originally surrounded the memorial. Then they used 3D scanning and wax moulds were made of the carvings prior to bronze replications being cast.
The final step in the project was to replicate the stone statue of Te Arawa ancestor Rangitihi, which was badly damaged and removed from the memorial in 1936. Local master carver Rakei Kingi was chosen to carve Rangitihi and used Hinuera stone, sourced from a quarry near Tirau.
Part way through the carving of Rangitihi by carver Rakei Kingi. Photograph supplied
Rotorua Lakes Council Arts & Culture Manager, Stewart Brown, is pleased this important memorial is ready to be unveiled to Te Arawa and the public after so much hard work.
“The unveiling showcases the talent and passion of expert conservators and carvers along with the generous support of many funders who understood the importance of this memorial.
The Te Arawa Soldiers’ Memorial is one of only a few erected by Māori to commemorate their men who fought and died in World War One. The rededication restores mana to this memorial and shows respect to those who are honoured upon it”, says Brown.
Rotorua Library will be hosting a talk about the restoration of the memorial at 2pm on the afternoon of the unveiling (Thursday 28 February).
Rotorua Lakes Council Researcher, Ben Manley, will talk about the history of the Te Arawa Soldiers’ Memorial before Eugene Kara of NZMACI discusses the restoration process.
Casting a pou in bronze, 2018. Photograph by New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute