ABOUT · MAKING OF SERIES · NGA KORU III
The making of Nga Koru III
Layers of depth, light, and two sides in conversation.
FORM
Garden sculpture
OCCASION
50th birthday gift
PLACEMENT
Private garden, NZ
STONE
Ōamaru limestone
THE PROCESS
From sketch to completion
Click any image to open the full sequence.
THE STORY
"I wanted layers and shadow, lines and curves — and it had to be strong."
This sculpture carries the story of a couple — London is where they met, New Zealand is where they made their life. Commissioned as a personal piece, it holds an entire family within its form: the journeys taken, the challenges faced, and the new beginnings found on the other side of the world.
To begin, Brett worked through the symbolism with the clients — what each element would carry, who it would represent, what it needed to say. Once the brief was clear, the design took shape as a composition that worked across the full height of the stone. The piece stands 1.4 metres tall — a presence that commands any outdoor space.
The structural challenge was significant. Brett took deliberate risks — less stone in the middle than convention would suggest, long branches of stone reaching out from the koru ends. There was every chance it wouldn't hold. But the design demanded it.
He wanted the piece to look like it was moving — not a block of stone with a design applied, but something with life in it. Leaves scattered on the wind. When he stood back, that's exactly what it was.
ABOUT THE NAME
Nga hau e wha (pronounced nga how ay fa) means the four winds — a reference to people gathering from all directions, from every corner of the world. It is a phrase that speaks to unity and connection across distance. The layout of this sculpture — reaching outward in every direction — reflects that meaning in its form as much as its name.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
Central koru
The husband and wife. Two forms joined at the heart of the piece.
Split koru, upper and lower
Their four children. Each one distinct, each one part of the whole.
Large sweeping koru, right
Their journey to New Zealand and the new beginnings that followed.
THE MATERIAL
Oamaru limestone is a soft, warm New Zealand stone — hand-carved, not machined. It weathers beautifully outdoors and holds fine detail with care.
Available for delivery locally or shipped professionally anywhere in New Zealand or internationally.
Tapering Pasifika design
The challenges experienced after arriving. The stone doesn't soften that part of the story.
Three circular patterns, base
Ngaru-nui, Ngaru-roa, and Ngaru-pae whenua — the three waves that brought them here.
BRETT KENO · SCULPTOR · NEW ZEALAND