Untitled [Moutoa Gardens] from the series Scenes in Māoriland
Murray Lloyd, Artist
This is one of the
photographs
in our collection.
It was made in
Whanganui Region, New Zealand
in 2007.
Measurements
H310 x W495mm
Media
Inkjet print on Epson Enhanced Matte Paper, reconfigured image from 4 x 5" colour negative film, in the form of digital collage.
Description
Moutoa Gardens, also known as Pakaitore, is a park in the city of Wanganui. Located near the banks of the Whanganui River, Moutoa Gardens was occupied for 79 days in 1995 by Whanganui iwi protesting over ownership of the Gardens. Local Māori claimed it was the site of a pa and a traditional place for trade, and that it had been set aside from the 1848 purchase of Wanganui. By the end of March 1995 there were over 400 protesters at Moutoa Gardens. An eviction notice was given to the protesters after the Wanganui Council was given a favourable ruling in the High Court. The protesters left the gardens peacefully on the 18th May. During the 1995 occupation the statue of John Ballance, former premier of New Zealand was beheaded and then removed and is yet to be replaced (the plinth remains). In 1999 the Waitangi Tribunal upheld the claims from Whanganui iwi and in 2001 an agreement was reached leaving Moutoa Gardens under Crown ownership. This meant the gardens would be administered under a Reserve Board consisting of Crown, Whanganui iwi, and the local council. In 2002 the gardens were again occupied in protest at the Government signing 35 year rights to Genesis Energy for electricity generation at the Whanganui River headwaters. The Environment Court in 2004 reduced the term of the resource consent for Genesis Energy’s right to take water from the Whanganui River from 35 to ten years. After two more court rulings in the High Court (2006) and the Court of Appeal (2009) the case has been referred back to the Environment Court for a second time.
Credit Line
Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui. Purchased, 2009.
Collection Type
Permanent collection
Acquisition Date
22 Oct 2009