THE STATUE by V. May Cottrell — me Rangatira kei te Ngatuawa o Ahuriri. Ko Pania inaianei e ai ki to korero a te hunga mahi ika, i na purata te moana ka kitea tonutia iho e takoto tapapa ana, pango tonu nga makawe o te mahunga, a ko nga ringaringa matoro mai ana ki uta. E ai ki nga korero a o matou pakeke he toka ika inaianei. Kei roto i te keke maui he rawaru anake nga ika o reira, kei te keke matau he tamure anake nga ika o reira, kei waenganui i nga kuha he hapuku anake nga ika o reira. He tauranga tapu i te wa i a ratou, na te pakeha kua noa noaiho, kua kore e rite te nui o te ika ki reira me te wa ia ratou. Over thirty years ago the late Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, then Bishop of Aotcaroa, accompanied members of the Thirty Thousand Club on a drive round Napier and suburbs. He pointed out many places of historical interest associated with the days when Maoris occupied Mataruahau (the Napier hills), and the Whanganuiorotu (the Aburiri Lagoon); days before the pakeha came in his sailing ships from far across the sea. When passing the tall bluffs near the break-water, the Bishop recounted the legend of the Pania Reef. Until that time it was not generally known. The romantic story greatly appealed to several members of the Club. The suggestion was made that a statue be erected to perpetuate the legend in bronze. There were many delays of one kind and another, but the time arrived when a Maori girl was required as a model for the statue. The ready co-operation of Miss I. L. Hunter, Principal of the Hukarere College, proved invaluable. Several students were selected as prospective models. The girls, attired in traditional dress, posed on a pile of cardboard (to represent the rock). Photographs were taken, and from these Mei Irihapiti Robin, of Kohupatiki, was selected. The grace of the natural, easy pose she took for the photographs has been faithfully portrayed in the finished statue. Photographs, drawings and detailed instructions were then forward to the sculptor at Cartara, Italy. So that there would be no mistake, a piupiu was sent for the sculptor's inspection. Pania: Bronze. It would have been disastrous if he had ma a piupiu look like an Hawaian grass skirt. Careful drawings of a tiki belonging to the Robin family were also sent to ensure accuracy. As the work on the statue progressed, photographs were taken and sent back to New Zealand, until ultimately the photograph of the finished work was received. When this was approved by the Club the clay model was recast in plaster and then in bronze. When unveiling the statue on June 10, 1954, the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. S. G. Holland, said that he had heard the story of the legend and thought it a delightful tale. The Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rt. Rev. W. N. Panapa, and the Mayor of Napier, Mr E. R. Spriggs, also spoke. A pleasing and appropriate feature of the unveiling ceremony was the singing of the students of the Hukarere Maori Girls' College. Mei Robin, who is a prefect of the college, was given an ovation when she appeared on the platform to present shoulder sprays to the wives of the official guests. At the conclusion of the ceremony she consented to be photographed with the statue of which she was the original.