Sculpture 'resplendent'

WOW FACTOR: Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Maggie Barry (left) with sculptors Fran and Paul Dibble, marvelling at the Kowhai sculpture after the unveiling of the huge artwork in Napier last night. PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND

Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage and former broadcaster Maggie Barry may have seemed momentarily overawed by the stature of a sculpture she unveiled in Napier last night but she still found the words to describe the event.

"This is a resplendent representation of New Zealand's unofficial national flower by one of our leading sculptors," she said after unveiling The Gold of the Kowhai, a four-metres-tall new feature near the MTG museum, theatre and gallery on Napier's Marine Parade.

"it has found an ideal home outside MTG Hawke's Bay," she said.

The bronze cast is the work of renowned Kiwi sculptor Paul Dibble and was donated to the Hawke's Bay Museums Trust collection by the MTG Foundation. Acknowledging that support, Ms Barry said: "It highlights the significant role of philanthropic support for the arts."

The Mayors of both Napier and Hastings were present for the unveilingof the sculpture which has 24-carat gold blossom petals. It will be illuminated at night.

Dibble is an internationally acclaimed sculptor, who works from his bronze foundry in Palmerston North. He is known for his large-scale public artworks, including Southern Stand, the New Zealand war memorial located on Hyde Park Corner in London.