New Opo statue ready by summer

A bronze version of Northland's iconic Opo statue looks likely to grace the Opononi waterfront in time for summer thanks to a Pub Charities grant of more than $30,000.

A group of Hokianga residents, led by former policeman and publican Ian Leigh-Mackenzie, have been working to restore the statue and raise money for a more robust version cast from bronze.

The statue was carved from Hinuera stone in 1960 by sculptor Russell Clark, commemorating the dolphin which frequented Opononi in the summer of 1955-56.

The boy rider's head was snapped off and broken in two by vandals or freak accident last October, but that was only the most recent damage. The head, fin and fingers have all been broken off in the past.

Stone conservator Chris Allen, of Auckland-based Architectural Building Conservation, has restored the sculpture without charge.

Mr Leigh-Mackenzie said the original sculpture was too fragile and precious to return to its plinth outside the Opononi Hotel, hence the campaign to cast a bronze copy. Last week the group was granted $33,500 by Pub Charities to cover the cost of making a mould and cast at Progressive Castings in Auckland.

"Big thanks to Pub Charities, we never imagined they'd give us the whole lot. When we put it in the application it was a little bit tongue-in-cheek," he said.

Mr Leigh-Mackenzie said the group's application was helped by letters of support from the Opononi community and the fact Opo was a New Zealand and Hokianga icon.

The next step would be deciding what to do with the original statue.

Mr Leigh-Mackenzie said it needed somewhere safe and under cover, but choosing a location was proving controversial.

The museum was keen to have it but locals did not want it locked away out of sight. If it was displayed at the i-SITE it would be visible day and night, but that option also had pitfalls. What was clear was that people did not want it to leave Opononi.

A public meeting to discuss the options will be held at South Hokianga Memorial Hall in Opononi from 5pm on October 10.