The man commissioned to turn Richie McCaw into a statue

Lyttelton sculptor Mark Whyte has been commissioned to craft a bronze statue of former All Black captain Richie McCaw. Photo / Star.Kiwi

Mark Whyte has restored Gothic buildings, sculpted war heroes and created a bronze sled dog - now he will add an All Black captain to his list.

The Lyttelton sculptor has been commissioned by the Kurow Museum Committee to craft a bronze statue of one of the greatest All Black captains, Richie McCaw.

Mr Whyte said the statue will be about 2m tall and will stand in Kurow - McCaw's home town.

He is looking forward to meeting McCaw in the next few months to realise his character, which will help him create a clay casing for the statue, Mr Whyte said.

Mr Whyte's most notable work in Canterbury is the statue of double Victoria Cross recipient Charles Upham at Amberley.

He said he is used to sculpting war heroes but it will be a similar process crafting the McCaw statue and the challenge will come from making it as accurate as possible.

"I'm meticulous. I do my utmost to get the true character of a person."

Mr Whyte said he did not want to create a sculpture that would reflect anything other than a real portrayal of McCaw.

Mark Whyte's statue of Charles Upham.

- Christchurch Star