Project Overview
Client
Font Public Art Trust (with Tauranga City Council), Peata Larkin (Artist)
Location
Red Square, Tauranga
Date Completed
2024
Services
Consultancy
Design
Cut. Fold. Build.
Installation
Some artworks ask you to remember what a place used to be. Rauhea, installed in Tauranga’s Red Square, does exactly that — drawing the eye back to a spring that once ran here, and to the kaumatua whose name it now carries.
About the Artwork
Created by artist Peata Larkin (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), Rauhea is named in memory of a tipuna (ancestor) and prominent local kaumatua of the 1920s. The sculpture stands 7 metres high and is formed from a combination of weathered steel and stainless steel, the two materials playing off one another to give the work both warmth and brightness.
Design and Meaning
Rauhea’s open, circular design symbolises the spring that historically ran down what is now Spring Street and out into the harbour. The weathered steel base is solid and represents the stump of a tree, anchoring it to the ground, in a similar way that some waka would historically be tied to such stumps to keep them anchored.
Engineering and Artisanship
Fabricating a 7-metre dual-material sculpture takes considered planning. Stainless and weathered steel behave differently — in finishing, in welding, and over the passage of time — and the contrast had to be controlled rather than accidental. Our team worked closely with Peata Larkin to translate her design into a piece that holds its proportions, sits well within Red Square’s hard landscaping, and weathers in a way that supports the artist’s intent.
A New Landmark in Tauranga
Rauhea is the result of strong collaboration between the artist, Font Public Art Trust, Tauranga City Council, and Longveld. It anchors a story of place into the heart of the city — pairing cultural memory with the precision of contemporary metalwork.
See it in Person
Visitors can view Rauhea at Red Square in central Tauranga and experience the detail, meaning, and craftsmanship of the work in its setting.
