Don’t be frightened when you find yourself staring up at a two metre tall moa sculpture when you’re out for a walk! This simple but elegant sculpture has recently been installed above the path on the Hobson Bay Walkway. Designed by Year 8 student, Anton Montgomerie, as part of a project to help enhance the viewer experience along the walkway, the moa is part of a larger initiative from the Boys’ School and the Orakei District board to place student sculptures along the length of the public walkway that runs around the foreshore below school.

The moa were made as part of the Art Options class at the Boys’ School. In a series of lessons, all boys learnt the skills of designing and making a 3D model of a moa out of foam board. In their brief, the pieces needed to fit on a 1/10th size sheet of plywood. This allowed for the designs to be scaled up to make the larger, finished sculpture. Anton Montgomerie’s design was the first of four moas to be scaled up to full size for the walkway project. The rest of the boys with continue to make the larger ones with, help from their art teacher, by the end of the year.   

As part of the visual arts programme, a set of sculptures was envisioned as a way to teach about sculpture and its use as public art. Head of Art, Mr Thomas Barter, contacted the local Board to see if there was a way to place them along the walkway around the school. The Board agreed and asked if other local schools could participate. This has seen Saint Kentigern take the lead in what will be a ten sculpture walkway project with five other local schools participating.

Through a grant from the Orakei Local Board, five sculptures have now been commissioned from five local schools along with five other sculptures that are being donated by the Boys’ School. This is all being coordinated by Mr Barter on behalf of Saint Kentigern Boys' School and the Orakei Local Board. These will be the first part of a student sculpture trail to be installed along the walkway by the end of February 2015. Take a walk and see if you can spot the first installation!

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