Funding drive for Whale Song sculpture park in Paraparaumu

Backers of a significant tourist magnet project, featuring a lifesize pod of bronze-coated whales in Paraparaumu, are hoping for an uplift in financial support, especially after a high-profile event.

Whale Song is the centrepiece of the Wharemauku Park regeneration project which would feature seven manmade humpback whales.

Not only would it be a major drawcard, but it would revitalise the Wharemauku Stream area, acknowledge Kāpiti’s whaling past, and highlight the need to protect the environment and species such as whales.

The bronze-coated whales, sitting on top of wind turbine-type poles, would range in size up to 24m.

The project is estimated to cost $12 million of which over $700,000 has already been raised.

The cost of the project is being funded by individuals and groups as well as grants.

No money is being sought from Kāpiti Coast District Council, which has supported the project.

When you’re looking at some of our legacy options, one person could cure that overnight.

Marco Zeeman

A high-profile event to raise awareness of the project, and seek financial support was held at The Roxy cinema, in Miramar, Wellington, last night.

“The new fly-through video, on the big screen, is awesome and brought people to tears,” Whale Song Pakake Waiata Charitable Trust chairman Marco Zeeman said.

“It really set the scene for the scale of the sculpture and what we’re trying to do with the Wharemauku Stream and more.

“There were 90 attendees of New Zealand’s most respected and creative business people.

“Sir Richard Taylor spoke very well and covered the feasibility of building the whales and showed examples of similar scaled work he’s already been doing off-shore.

“His messaging was very clear, that on the world stage, this would be ‘unprecedented’.”

Artistic impression of the Whale Song sculpture park. Graphic / Tilt Architecture

Zeeman said a prospectus, prepared in the last month and a half, covered funding opportunities.

“We gained two new sponsors from the night, and several of the attendees asked to speak to me in the coming days.”

While the cost was high, he was ever-hopeful that the funding could be obtained.

“When you’re looking at some of our legacy options, one person could cure that overnight.

“We have a number of billionaires in this country that may well look at this.

“But at the moment we will be following up on the 90 people that attended, and carrying on discussions and hopefully we secure what we need to secure and go forward.”

Moreover, it was simply a matter of going “full steam ahead”.

“Our snowball is getting bigger and accelerating as people join us.

“I think people are realising now that this is actually getting nearer and nearer to reality, and jumping onboard which is great to see.”

Another artistic impression of the Whale Song sculpture park. Graphic / Tilt Architecture

Zeeman added that a foundry, which Sir Richard had close links with, was very capable of producing the Mike Fuller-designed whales.

“The main thing is capability. They certainly can produce these things in 12 months. We’ve looked locally and in Australia but there’s no one really established to produce things of this scale. We’re now really dealing with probably one of the biggest foundries in the world.”

Zeeman said the whales would be “more than a sculpture” too.

“People ask why we’ve got the whales standing over a stream.

“We’re really pushing the Māori Te O worldview where everything is interconnected.

“Raindrops go through these streams and rivers and end up in the sea where the whales swim.

But we’re not looking after these waterways, and putting rubbish in them, whether intentionally or by accident.

“The whales [sculptures] will be there overlooking the precious waterway which we’re not really looking after.

“The message is really clear – they want change – and it’s time for change.”