The Voyager sculpture, in a deteriorated state 15 years after it was unveiled in Gisborne. Photo / Gisborne Herald
The Voyager sculpture, in a deteriorated state 15 years after it was unveiled in Gisborne. Photo / Gisborne Herald
The creator of a $70,000 council-commissioned sculpture left overgrown with weeds and invisible from the nearby street has offered to come from Melbourne to “refresh” the work.
The once striking red Voyager sculpture on the banks of Gisborne’s Waikanae Stream was commissioned by Gisborne District Council’s Art inPublic Places committee and installed in 2011.
Designed and constructed by Melbourne-based artist and sculptor Konstantin (Kon) Dimopoulos, the bright red boat with flexible resin rods pays homage to the region’s voyaging traditions.
Now, 15 years on, the art piece that once lit up at night has deteriorated, with weeds growing through it and paint faded and peeling.
Ambiguity remains around who is responsible for the upkeep of the sculpture and the land it sits on.
The strip of land falls under section 62 of the Conservation Act 1987, as land held for conservation purposes and “managed as if it is [a] stewardship area”, according to Land Information NZ data.
Top: The Voyager sculpture, pictured in 2026.
Bottom: The Voyager sculpture, pictured in 2011 shortly after its unveiling. Photo / Gisborne Herald
In the legislation, stewardship areas are managed to ensure their natural and historic resources are protected.
Responding to Gisborne Herald queries about who was responsible for the upkeep of the land, a Department of Conservation spokesman said the council was responsible.
TheGisborne Herald asked the council about the sculpture’s state of disrepair, who was responsible for maintenance and who owned the land on February 24.
The council has indicated it was making inquiries. The Gisborne Herald has received no answers to the questions to date.
After Gisborne Herald queries, Pultron Composites chairwoman Dame Bronwen Holdsworth reached out to the artist.
She learned that Dimopoulos had advised the council that the sculpture would need to be maintained as any outdoor sculpture or building.
Dimopoulos said, in a letter, that the commissioner of the sculpture was responsible for maintaining it.
“In this case, it was the Gisborne City Council. I can’t remember the name of the person we were dealing with, but I believe he has retired,” he said.
“My understanding is also that Pultron (Composites) donated the rods or at least provided the rods at a discounted rate.”
Dimopoulos initially said he had contacted the council but hadn’t received a response.
“I had also advised that I would be happy to look at the cost of doing this work, but there has been no response in the last 10 years,” Dimopoulos said.
Dimopoulos more recently told The Gisborne Herald he was now speaking to someone at the council.
The Voyager sculpture has deteriorated over time and is now almost hidden in its overgrown location off Grey St, adjacent to Waikanae Stream. Photo / Gisborne Herald
The artist said he had been maintaining sculptures in Melbourne and overseas with great success.
“The sculpture was created in 2011, so I think it would be time to refresh the work.
“I would like to do this myself as I have created my own way of recoating the rods in situ. This way I know the work will be done properly and will last another 15-20 years,” he said.
“Again, like all public sculptures, once the work is completed, it is the responsibility of the commissioner - the city - to maintain them.”
A plaque next to the Voyager sculpture in Gisborne. Photo / Gisborne Herald
The Voyager’s distinctive red colour, line, form and repetition are fundamental elements of Dimopoulos’ work.
“If it wasn’t for the wind, we wouldn’t even be here,” he told The Gisborne Herald in an interview in 2011.
Part of the Dimopoulos work is abstract; the movement and noise made by the dozens of reed-like polyurethane resin rods create a “conversation” about the gusts that give the work its kinetic energy.
Dimopoulos’ Greek parents took him to Wellington in the 1960s to escape post-revolution changes in Egypt.
Originally a painter, he turned to sculpture in the late 1990s as a way of exploring movement, going on to create many award-winning installations.
