The Huia – last sighted in the Wairarapa region dominates the left of the artwork facing the beloved North Island Kōkako on the right.
This artwork pays homage to what we once had in the form of our Huia, while paying respect to the success story of the now thriving North Island Kōkako, thanks to Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre at Mt Bruce.
The brightly blue coloured manu is surrounded in native Karo flowers, leaves and fruit, a favourite food source for the Kōkako. In Māori myth, the Kōkako filled its wattles with water and brought it to Maui as he fought the sun.
The left side of the artwork includes the native Hīnau plant, a popular forest fruit of the Huia, while the soft palette portrays a bygone era or something lost.