Archives IdentifierEN001Date Range1985-2001DescriptionThis is a series of records from Rex Nicholls documenting the formation through to the winding up of the Kupe Group Charitable Trust.
The trust was formed by Rex Nicholls, a former city councillor with the intent to recast in bronze the original plaster cast statue of the Kupe Group to make it possible to display it permanently outside on the waterfront.
The Kupe Group statue was originally made for the Centennial Exhibition by William Trethewey in 1940. It then stood at the Railway station until the mid 1980s when it was relocated to the Show Association buildings until the Association was wound up in the late 1990s and the statue was transferred to Te Papa Tongarewa.
The casting of the replica in bronze was carried out by Artworks Studios (1996) Limited, with Athfield Architects providing the plinth. The statue was installed on the waterfront with agreement of Lambton Harbour Management Limited and the ownership of the statue was transferred to Wellington City Council in perpetuity on behalf of the public of Wellington.MediumFileCollection TypeCommunity archives