Te Aro Park - Pigeon Park

"In the late 80s the creation of a new public park in central Wellington became an act of cross-cultural collaboration, and an infamous battle zone between artist, council and naysayers. Following positive feedback over her design, council staff decided that redevelopment of Pigeon Park (an old pa site) would be led by Maori artist Shona Rapira Davies. A documentary film follows the passionate, stroppy Rapira Davies, as she fights cost overruns, landscape architects and passersby, and for her vision (which involved handcrafting Te Aro park's 20,000+ ceramic tiles)."

This highly engrossing story is available on line as a NZ On Screen Documentary. Follow this link. Despite the bad experience in building the park Wellington managed to evolve a model which has led to a wealth of public sculpture in the City. The sculptures are sponsored by an independent trust.