The ''Statue of Pania'' (also known as ''Pania of the Reef'') is located on Marine Parade in

Napier, New Zealand Napier ( ; mi, Ahuriri) is a city on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Hawke's Bay Region, Hawke's Bay region. It is a beachside city with a Napier Port, seaport, known for its sunny climate, esplanade lin ...

, and honours the life of

Pania Statue of Pania Pania, often styled "Pania of the Reef", is a figure of Māori mythology, and a symbol of the New Zealand city of Napier. There is a statue of Pania on Napier's Marine Parade. The legend of Pania of the Reef Pania was a beautifu ...

, a figure of

Māori mythology Māori mythology and Māori traditions are two major categories into which the remote oral history of New Zealand's Māori may be divided. Māori myths concern fantastic tales relating to the origins of what was the observable world for the pr ...

. The statue was commissioned by members of the Thirty Thousand Club after the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Bishop of Aotearoa, Frederick Bennett, related the legend of Pania to them. Several students from

Hukarere Girls College Hukarere Girls' College is a girls secondary boarding school in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand. It has a strong Māori people, Māori character and follows the Anglicanism, Anglican tradition. The School motto "Kia Ū Ki Te Pai" means "Cl ...

were photographed as models for the statue, and eventually, Mei Irihapiti Robin (now Mei Whaitiri, the mother of local MP

Meka Whaitiri Melissa Heni Mekameka Whaitiri (born 11 January 1965) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician and Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. She was elected to Parliament in the 2013 Ikaroa-Rāwhiti by-election and is currently Minis ...

), was selected. A traditional piupiu skirt, and the photographs of Mei, were sent to the Italian marble company of Carrara in

Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, west-northwest o ...

, Italy and used to create a clay model. This clay model was then used to produce the

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

statue, which is estimated to weigh between 60 and 70 kg. The statue was unveiled on 10 June 1954 by then

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Sidney Holland. The statue has often been compared to ''The Little Mermaid'' statue in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

; there is a resemblance between the two figures, as both statues are small, bronze, and near the ocean, and both are based on similar stories. In 1982, the statue was shot in the head. The damage was later repaired. On 27 October 2005, the statue was stolen, but was discovered by Jeff Foley and recovered by police on 4 November.Recovery of the statue (Stuff.co.nz article)
/ref> The statue was restored, then replaced on 16 November 2005.

References

{{Reflist 1954 sculptures Bronze sculptures in New Zealand Cultural depictions of New Zealand women Monuments and memorials to women Outdoor sculptures in New Zealand

Stolen works of art Vandalized works of art Statues in New Zealand