The sculptural artwork by He Raukura, eight carved timber panels at the front entrance of the Waitohi Johnsonville Community Hub reflects the significant Māori heritage of this area and welcomes all who come to Waitohi.
Artist Matthew McIntyre Wilson (Taranaki, Ngā Māhanga, Tītahi) created this work for Waitohi, the vibrant heart of the North. McIntyre Wilson’s work reflects forms found in the surrounding landscape; the peaks of the hills, the valleys and plateaus, and the Waitohi stream meandering through what is now a busy urban landscape. He Raukura also reflects the people who have journeyed through the landscape; from old Māori forest pathways to today’s patterns of usage as the Hub’s community creates new pathways. The raukura, a white feather, is a symbol of peace and harmony and affiliated to the Taranaki rohe. Drawing complex strands of site narratives together, McIntyre Wilson’s design, based on weaving patterns selected through korero with kaumatua Kura Moeahu, and realised as a carving work, was CNC routed into the timber panels by Makers Fabrication in Lower Hutt.
About the artist
Born in Hawkes’ Bay, Matthew McIntyre Wilson is an artist, weaver and jewellery maker, using designs inspired by traditional Māori narratives to create woven geometric patterns as a feature of his work. McIntyre Wilson’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and his work is held by Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand