A historically significant Māori carving which has been languishing at the Wanaka Primary School for years has finally found a new home.

The large framed carving has been restored and will eventually be installed on a wall at the Wanaka Library “to act as guardian over the Mana Whenua collection, and indeed the library as a whole”, Queenstown Lakes District Council communications advisor Sam White said. 

The restoration was carried out by Steve Solomon, who was initially unaware of the carving which had been created largely by his grandfather Alan Solomon, the principal carver, before being gifted to Wanaka.

The Wanaka branch of the National Bank accepted the carving from Alan in 1984 on the understanding the bank would find a suitable venue for its display. 

Steve said the carving was in remarkably good condition and only required minor restoration, which he undertook last weekend with his grandfather’s permission. Steve donated his time but the library will offer koha.

“My family’s name is associated with the carving and as it’s going up on display I just wanted it looking its best,” he said.

The carving was first gifted to Wanaka in 1984.

Steve, who lives in Queenstown, only learned of the carving after Wanaka historian Richie Hewitt tracked him down. 

Richie said he was motivated to trace the carving’s history as he recalled seeing it at the school on Tenby Street, knew it was no longer on display, and “wanted to know what was going to happen to it.”

In the 1980s the carving was first mounted in the Wanaka Primary School’s administration area (formerly known as the Wanaka Area School), on Tenby Street, and when the school relocated to Ironside Drive the carving moved with the school but was not reinstalled. The school came to the conclusion it had nowhere suitable to display the large carving (mounted on a 2.1m x 1.2m painted MDF board) at its new site.

It was rediscovered at the school more than two years ago and, since then, the Upper Clutha Historical Records Society (UCHRS) has been instrumental in finding the carving a new place to be displayed.  

The carving has tribal connections with Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe and Ngāti Porou and the documentation associated with it describes the raid by Te Puoho in 1836 which included action in Wanaka.

Its original documentation is part of the McCrone collection, held in the UCHRS’ historical records room at the Wanaka Library.

UCHRS president Graham Dickson liaised with various community members to find a suitable home for the carving and it was finally agreed that the library would house it.

“The problem is its sheer size,” Graham said. 

In due course, the library will hold a ceremony to officially welcome the carving to its new home. 

PHOTO: Supplied