On Saturday 6 July we opened the Tāmaki Estuary Art and Ecological Awards at UXBRIDGE Arts & Culture.
The Howick Local Board is proud to fund UXBRIDGE to deliver a wide range of arts and cultural activities, including these awards. Creativity, culture and the arts make Auckland a vibrant and dynamic city. We also know that participating in arts and cultural initiatives enables Aucklanders to express our unique cultures and see ourselves reflected in public places.
This exhibition is not just art, it’s also about the environment. In fact we believe it’s the only art award in the country dedicated to ecological themes.
The Tāmaki is also known as Te Wai o Taiki, meaning "The Waters of Taiki". Taiki being a shortened form of Taikehu, an ancestor of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. It was a key transport route, providing a link through the shortest land connection between the Waitematā and Manukau Harbours.
The estuary extends around 17 km inland, with total shoreline length of approximately 40 km. These intertidal sand and mudflats feature numerous native habitats and ecosystems that are regionally important. Much of the surrounding catchment is intensively developed with a long history of commercial and industrial use which have cumulatively had a negative impact on sediment quality.
We cannot resolve these issues quickly or alone so we partner with local organisations and volunteers to take action to protect and restore the mauri (lifeforce) of our awa (waterways).
We recently approved our new budget, with a commitment to continuing our pest removal, stream restoration and pollution prevention programmes, as well as extra funding for Pakuranga and Botany Creeks, both which feed into the Tāmaki.
This event is a wonderful intersection of these priorities – where environment meets art. Contemporary art has a unique way of sparking the public interest and these awards are a great example of using creativity to promote the ecological value of this vital awa (waterway) and encourage action against its pollution.
Each year we see artworks that inspire, educate, and inform – there’s something for everyone to enjoy. We’re proud to continue to support these awards and the creatives who respond to them.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this exhibition, I’m always impressed by the bravery of artists who are willing to share their ideas and art with us.
Also thank you to this year’s guest judge, Annette Lees. Ecologist, and author of numerous acclaimed non-fiction books, facing perhaps her greatest challenge to judge these incredible works.
And you can join in on the judging - the People's Choice Award is open until 31 August! So get along to UXBRDIGE, enjoy these beautiful artworks, and cast your vote for your favourite.
