Wellington Writer's Walk — He Karakia mō Puanga mā Matariki (2026)
He Karakia mō Puanga mā Matariki — an aluminium sculpture by Ben Ngaia (Te Āti Awa) gifted to the Wellington Writers Walk by Te Wharewaka o Pōneke. The first work in te reo Māori and newest addition to the Walk in over a decade.
Collaborators:
Writer / author: Ben Ngaia
Designer: Dave Hakaraia
Client: Wellington Writer's Walk
Creative Production Partner: Human Dynamo Workshop
A new voice on the walk
The Wellington Writers Walk is a series of literary sculptures along the city's waterfront, celebrating the writers who have shaped Aotearoa NZ's stories. In July 2026, He Karakia mō Puanga mā Matariki joined that trail, sited between Te Papa and the promenade — the first work in the collection in over a decade, and the first written in te reo Māori.
The sculpture holds a karakia by Ben Ngaia (Te Āti Awa), gifted to the Writers Walk by Te Wharewaka o Pōneke. It is positioned to look across Te Whanganui-a-Tara towards the Matariki stars as they rise, creating a place to pause, reflect, and connect with the stories, language and traditions that Matariki carries.
Human Dynamo Workshop came into the project as Creative Production Partner, working alongside designer Dave Hakaraia (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Paoa) and mana whenua collaborators to bring the finished aluminium sculpture to the waterfront.
A place to pause
The sculpture sits quietly in the flow of the promenade, catching walkers who might otherwise pass by. Its orientation towards the rising Matariki stars ties the work to the whenua and the seasonal cycle.
For the many who visit the waterfront each year, it offers a new anchor point woven into the city's public literary landscape.
Image credit: Magdalena Podbielkowska Bisley
