I’ve crafted this larger-than-life Pīwakawaka from reclaimed vehicle and machinery parts collected around our rural district.
Painted lawnmower blades form its bold black-and-white tail, while ball-bearing eyes give it an alert, cheeky expression. Perched on an old Tōtara fence post, it is my celebration of one of New Zealand’s most familiar little birds, full of character and proudly made from rural scrap.
King of the Scrap is resurrection through transformation: a creature from deep time built from the modern fossils of human industry.
Archaeology in reverse.
(Thanks Shona Blomquist for the original photo!)
Here's a collection of some of the birds I've been creating recently.
I've been really enjoying refining their individual characteristics and silhouettes, trying to capture the personality and spirit of each species.
I've also been exploring the application of paint, versus rustiness. Even a tiny amount of colour can really bring the piece to life.
Wow, so pleased.. I just won the 3D and Premier Awards last night at the Ruapehu Art Awards with my metal Kārearea sculpture. I can't believe it, there are so many cool artworks there!
Thank you to the Ruapehu Art Awards team and friends for creating this awesome event, and especially to all the sponsors for helping make it happen and bringing all this incredible art together.
The show will be on daily from 10 am to 3 pm until the 30th of September. Please go check it out!
So I thought it was time to create something a bit different, so I decided to make a marlin sculpture that looks like it's leaping up out of the water! It was a really fun project, though I had to build a pulley system in my shed to lift and maneuver it.
The size was awkward, but I slowly built it up piece by piece. Making a scale model beforehand was a huge help. Here's a picture of me installing it for my new 'Fossicked & Found' exhibition, where it will be displayed upright!
This project all started when I laid down a few exhaust pipes I’d just collected from the scrapyard. Playing around, I accidentally created a serpentine sort of flow, immediately realizing, "Dragon!" The next couple of hundred hours were spent putting it all together and filling it in—definitely easier said than done.
I loved working on the sheer scale of this piece. Being a mystical English dragon, there were no set rules for composition or proportion, which allowed for a lot of creative freedom during the build.
The wings came out really nicely, too. I was inspired by a recent Taumarunui quilters and weavers exhibition where their patchwork quilts were amazing. It just clicked with me to create Harold's wings in a similar patchwork style. The patterns of the different metal meshes complement each other, creating a lightweight, semi-transparent look that contrasts nicely with the strong, industrial flow of his body.
The golf ball eyes finished him off perfectly. There's a calm tranquility to Harold's character—he's definitely a friendly English dragon for sure.
I'm very pleased to announce that my new junk goat, Clarence, won the Supreme Art Award at this year's Waimarino Art Awards in Raetihi! On top of that, I also won the 3D division with my abstract piece titled 'Pioneering Dream'.
Great news, and a huge well done to Annie Stone for doing a marvellous job coordinating the whole event.
Thank you to the three judges, it was great hearing your kōrero—and a big thank you to Ngāti Rangi for their generous sponsorship towards the supreme prize. Thanks heaps!
Exciting news! I've built up a collection of scrap metal artworks and will be putting on a local exhibition alongside super-talented artist Raewyn Porritt, titled 'Fossicked & Found'!
Not long to go, the exhibition will run from the end of July through to early August. Feel free to share the news and come along!
Thanks heaps, and hope to see you all there! I'm REALLY looking forward to it!
This has been a really cool project to work on. I really like goats, so putting this one together was great fun. Lawn mower blades, old gate hinges, and long bent steel rods all come together to give Terence his own unique character.
Terence is big and heavy, just like a real goat, so making him structurally strong was an important part of the build.
One of the things I'm really enjoying about welding is how certain pieces of scrap seem to jump out at me, almost like magic. I don't have to overthink every detail; the right pieces just seem to reveal themselves as I go along.
The horns took quite a bit of precision. I made them from No. 8 wire, carefully forming a long spiral before creating a second one to mirror the first, which was pretty tricky.
I'm really pleased with how Terence turned out. It was another awesome project to work on. Thanks, Terence!
Really excited about this modified 3D stellated octahedron I just built using rebar steel rod. I’ve always loved geometry, but seeing it transition from paper into a large-scale, three-dimensional sculpture is very satisfying!
The build required careful calculation. I started by constructing a standard stellated octahedron, then multiplied the distance to one vertex by phi (the Golden Ratio) and extended the point to match. I then applied the ratio again to that new length to elongate the lower section. The result is a uniquely off-axis, highly deliberate 3D stellated octahedron.
Best decision ever! Just bought a new MIG welder—huge thanks to Mitre 10 Taumarunui!
I just finished this piece titled 'Junk Cat', built from an assortment of discarded steel and whatever interesting scrap I could find. Unlike my usual carvings, this sculpture isn't about precision, it's all about character, humour, and spontaneous fun.
The freedom welding gives me is addictive. Instead of carving material away, I can collect forgotten objects and give them a completely new purpose. Every rusty piece suggests another idea, and every weld opens up new possibilities, layer upon layer.
Junk Cat might be a bit cheeky, but I think I've found another medium I truly love. Can't wait to make whatever's next!
After many years of carving timber, I'd been thinking about giving welding a go. So I borrowed a friend's MIG welder and decided to experiment with a simple idea: an NZ Pterodactyl drawn in mid-air using nothing more than No. 8 wire and a wooden base.
The realisation that I wasn't carving material away, but instead building it up, hit me straight away! I found myself drawing in three dimensions, bending and welding each line into place. I could even undo sections to get the size and proportions just right. It was completely different from carving, and I loved it immediately (apart from the smell, haha!). I was also able to use my familiar angle grinders, which made the transition feel surprisingly natural.
This little sculpture isn't about perfection. It's about discovering a new medium, and I can't wait to see where it takes me!
We unveiled our Unity Project carving this afternoon, wahoo! The waharoa is situated at the Te Awanui a Rua Trust headquarters in Taumarunui.
A big thank you to our rangatahi carvers—Jahdah, Hone, and Rangi—it was so much fun carving this project with you all! Also, a mighty thanks to Anahera, Whaea Jackie, and Matua Hokio for your massive support.
Here is my scaled plan for my upcoming Unity project. I'll be teaching a group of local rangatahi the carving and painting techniques involved as we construct the project. It's all about sharing the craft and passing on knowledge!
I'll carve the central koruru, representing Rangi and Papa, from Tōtara, while every other component will be crafted from treated pine, applying skills learnt from my previous waharoa.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this project come to life!
This unique commission was inspired by New Zealand's famous 1935 Waitangi Crown (5 shillings), widely regarded as one of the country's most iconic and collectible coins.
When I was first commissioned to carve it, my first thought was, "How am I going to do that?" Months later, after countless hours of carving and refining every detail, my plan came together.
Medium: Hand-carved from a single piece of native Tōtara, mounted on a steel rod with a native black Maire wooden base.
Dimensions: 650 mm diameter, 100 mm depth
I carved these three Macrocarpa beams during lockdown, so I had plenty of time to do it thoroughly! They came out really well. I carved the TAUMARUNUI lettering deeply into the timber after working the whole surface in a sort of scalloped, mamaku-inspired pattern. It was great to finally see all three beams up in place — a proud moment!
Extreme detail and precision were required, the delicate spiral work on the arms measures approximately 10 mm in diameter, and the detailed eyes with pupils measure only 3 mm across!
Medium: Deer antler, native Mataī wood, pāua shell inlays
Dimensions: 72 mm in length
It was a real privilege to once again work alongside Te Waka Pū Whenua Trust after the success of the previous year's Matariki light installation. This time, I was invited to develop the concept for something even more ambitious.
The vision was to create three futuristic illuminated Manu Aute (traditional Māori kites), combining contemporary lighting with Māori design and storytelling.
Each Manu Aute would represent one of the three fundamental states of existence within Mātauranga Māori: Te Ao, Te Pō, and Te Kore—concepts that speak to the journey of existence and the origins of all things.
These concept drawings became the blueprint for the project, with every pattern and symbol carefully considered before construction began. They marked the first step towards bringing this unique Matariki installation to life.
Super proud today unveiling the Pātaka over at Ngā Hau e Whā Māra Kai, Taumarunui.
A massive thanks to the kaumātua and everyone who attended the dawn ceremony, as well as Pip, Pal, and the rest of the Ngā Hau e Whā team! Also, a huge thank you to Creative NZ for the funding.
This Pātaka is a fully functional food storage house and heritage seed bank for the gardens—tūturu Māori style. Such a privilege to carve the front of it!
It was an honour to work alongside Karen Ngatai and the Taumarunui Revitalisation Taskforce to create a trail of eleven native bird carvings through the historic Manson Gardens in the heart of Taumarunui.
With the support of eleven generous local sponsors, each bird found a permanent home within the gardens. Carved from a variety of beautiful native timbers, the project became a true labour of love that evolved over several years, with plenty of challenges and memorable moments along the way.
Each sculpture was carefully positioned to complement the character of the gardens, creating a trail that encourages visitors to slow down, explore, and discover some of New Zealand's remarkable native birdlife. Subtle lighting was later added so the carvings could continue to be enjoyed after dark.
Creating this project for my hometown has been one of the greatest privileges of my artistic journey. Seeing families, visitors and locals stop to admire the birds, take photographs and enjoy the gardens has made every hour worthwhile.
Looking back, this project reminded me that public art has the power to become part of a community's story.
Creation of kites and kite flying was a great old-time Māori practice. Kites came in many types of design and were used for all sorts of purposes from general fun and games to more serious uses such as spiritual ceremonies amongst tohunga (priests).
My own fascination with flight along with my passion towards whakairo led me to carve this particular ‘manu pākau’ representing Rongo, atua of peaceful pursuits.
I decorated the aerofoil wing in a stepped on/off ‘poutama’ design representing the steps/levels towards Ranginui (Sky-Father), within these steps are painted kōwhaiwhai patterns representing the winds. The word ‘Manu’ means both bird and kite. Manu are seen as intermediaries between spiritual and physical realms.
Medium: Tōtara and Mataī wood, pāua inlays, hemp, feathers and paint
Dimensions: 1.2 metre wingspan
