NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Parekowhai's sculpted state house on Auckland waterfront puzzles visitors

Simon Collins
By Simon Collins
Reporter·NZ Herald·
11 Jan, 2017 07:28 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The wrapping has finally come off New Zealand's most expensive sculpture - but some visitors on Auckland's waterfront are puzzled about what to make of it.

The wrapping has finally come off New Zealand's most expensive sculpture - but some visitors on Auckland's waterfront are puzzled about what to make of it.

Sculptor Michael Parekowhai's $1.5 million work entitled The Lighthouse, designed to look like a classic Kiwi state house, has been plagued by controversy ever since real estate firm Barfoot and Thompson gave $1 million to build it in March 2013 - the country's biggest monetary gift for a single artwork.

The cost blew out to $1.9 million, including a proposed huge chandelier that would have shone from the house like a lighthouse, but was cut back to $1.5 million after Parekowhai replaced the big light with 10 smaller chandeliers representing the stars of Matariki, which guided early Maori navigators.

Anonymous donors made up the $500,000 funding shortfall.

Auckland Council arts and culture manager Kaye Glamuzina said the structure at the end of Queens Wharf would be formally unveiled at "a great public event for everybody" in early to mid-February.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But Ricky Hunn, a beneficiary who fishes on the wharf most days, said the wrapping came off the building last week and it was not getting a good reception.

"It's the most hideous thing I've ever seen, mate," he said.

"I haven't heard any good feedback on it. Everyone just thinks it's a waste of money - we've got a housing crisis so they put up a state house and spend millions on it."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Jodie and Debbie Kauhou from Christchurch, who were visiting Auckland for the first time, were puzzled by it.

"It's just plopped there, I don't really see the purpose of it," said Debbie, 44, a bakery manager.

"It's effective," said Jodie, 42, a technician. "But when we walked through town we just noticed quite a few homeless there. If they forked out $1.5 million, why can't they put it to some kind of housing to get them off the street?"

Jodie (left) and Debbie Kauhou "didn't really see the purpose" of the sculpture
Jodie (left) and Debbie Kauhou "didn't really see the purpose" of the sculpture

Eva Kroiss, a 25-year-old German backpacker, didn't realise the building was a work of art.

Discover more

New Zealand

State houses sale to go ahead

06 Dec 05:00 PM
Opinion

There's room at the inn - but it'll cost

14 Dec 04:00 PM
Business

Private landlords want state houses

20 Dec 11:26 PM
Business

Tauranga's state housing portfolio sold

22 Dec 05:30 AM

"I just thought they were building a house," she said. "I think you'd have to be from New Zealand or know a bit about these houses to actually get it."

However, other visitors found the house tugged at their personal connections with state housing.

Tom Gilbert, 23, who grew up in a state house in Glen Innes, said he felt "conflicted".

"It reminds me of my childhood because I grew up out east and a lot of the houses had that 40s and 50s vibe about them," he said. "But there's a bit of a housing crisis at the moment and it's not even building one house."

Roger Dutton, a manufacturer from Glendowie who was on the wharf with his son Kenny, 3, often drives through Glen Innes and was "curious" about Parekowhai's creation.

"I suppose it's not actually a bad thing because state housing has been a great thing for New Zealand," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And Rhys Utting, 28, a banker who works near the wharf, felt the art work was "awesome".

"I think it's really Kiwi," he said.

Parekowhai, 48, declined to be interviewed but has written that the work signals a "safe harbour" at the end of "diverse history of journeys across water", with the state house style "linking the sculpture to the lives of many different New Zealanders".

"The artwork combines the familiar with the unexpected, the simple with the decorative, the literal with the poetic, inviting us to value our place in the world," he wrote.

"The Lighthouse resonates with the Maori concept of ahi ka, telling us that our home fires have long been burning and the lights are still on."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
Tourism

'Nothing was going to stop me': Pioneer who built ski resort from scratch sells up

09 May 07:00 AM
live
New Zealand

Watch: Flights delayed at Auckland Airport as intense rain batters city, surface flooding

09 May 06:53 AM
New Zealand

Flooding in Wairau Valley

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
'Nothing was going to stop me': Pioneer who built ski resort from scratch sells up

'Nothing was going to stop me': Pioneer who built ski resort from scratch sells up

09 May 07:00 AM

Peter Foote started building Mt Dobson Ski Area with a $2000 bulldozer.

Watch: Flights delayed at Auckland Airport as intense rain batters city, surface flooding
live

Watch: Flights delayed at Auckland Airport as intense rain batters city, surface flooding

09 May 06:53 AM
Flooding in Wairau Valley

Flooding in Wairau Valley

'Pure panic': Mum speaks out after son victim of terrifying dog attack

'Pure panic': Mum speaks out after son victim of terrifying dog attack

09 May 06:34 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP