Introducing Mayor Garry Webber - artist

Introducing Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber - budding craftsman.

"I'm not really an artist as such. I'm more of a craftsman and assembler of bits," he tells the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.

Webber is among a line up of artists featuring in an upcoming Edge Sculpture Exhibition at the People's Gallery at The Incubator.

The exhibition, which opens next week , features several of Webber's works but it is his prized work The Buried Hatchets of Tauranga which will take centre stage.

The piece sits inside Webber's mayoral office and incorporates two adzes, one made of kauri and the other of totara, each with a Celtic design carved into the body and Maori design carved into the heads. Each adze holds two different types of pounamu and has harakeke (flax) woven around them, binding them together.

Webber, who has a deep passion for carving and gemstones, commissioned three local artists to do the more delicate details - one to carve the adzes, another to craft the flax "muka" style and another to sculpt and shape greenstone supplied by Webber.

"I didn't have the confidence to do as good of a job on these as they did."

For Webber, the piece represented a lot. The 150th commemorations of the Battle of Gate Pa, where Tauranga Moana iwi representative Antoine Coffin spoke of moving away from grievance mode and going "with the acceptance mode", inspired the work.

"I was there as the only representative from local Government. Because I thought that was such a significant day ... I thought I'd try to make that," he said.

"There are two different woods; there are two different carvings, two different pieces of greenstone. They all bring something to enrich the fabric of the environment," Webber said.

"It reflects the changing nature of New Zealand, how we as a society change and have more inter-race marriages, etc. That's what that represents to me - two different groups coming together."

Another piece that will feature is a polished piece of greenstone that "looks like Mauao if you're looking from Omokoroa". Another is a piece of South Island agate formed around a fossilised fleck of fern.

"To me, if you want to have a full life, sitting at home watching TV is not that. You've got to walk up a river or go to some unique parts of New Zealand to find those pieces."

A greenstone patu is another piece of pride for Webber. He explains the importance of going with the grain of this piece, "otherwise pieces just flake off".

"I made it all myself. It's a sort of hobby I have."

The collection reflects Webber's lifelong interest in the outdoors and New Zealand native wood and rock.

The Incubator's Simone Anderson said there were many talented sculptors and carvers in the Bay of Plenty, but they were not necessarily well known. This exhibition would hopefully help change that and celebrate the Bay's homegrown talent by bringing them together.

Exhibition details

What: An Exhibition of Sculpture
Where: The People's Gallery - Toi Ka Rere, The Historic Village
When: Opens May 25th. Runs until June 12.
Who: Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber, 17-year-old Charlie Clegg and critically acclaimed carver Kevin McCardell will be among several artists featured.
Cost: Free