Search on for Taylor's murals

The hunt is on for 13 known murals painted by E Mervyn Taylor between 1957 and 1964.

Massey's College of Creative Arts is embarking on a quest to honour the memory of New Zealand artist, craftsman and designer E Mervyn Taylor by undertaking a search for the 13 known murals he created between 1957 and 1964.

This includes the Wairoa Centennial Library mural that was painted about 1961 and depicted Maui and colonial lifestyles in the Wairoa environs.

This work was last seen when it was successfully removed and stored during a library renovation in 2002-2003.

Library staff from this time recall a female family member visiting Wairoa and requesting the return of the work.

However, the family are unaware of such a request, and no records have been found to suggest its whereabouts.

Massey PhD Candidate Bronwyn Holloway-Smith says: "We are asking anyone in the region who might know the whereabouts of the painting to come forward so this can be recorded and we can take the Wairoa Centennial Library work off our 'missing' list."

The search was inspired by the discovery of one of his few surviving murals, Te Ika-a-Maui, the story of Maui fishing up the North Island.

It was found stored in cardboard boxes.