KEY POINTS:
Five sculptures, labelled by Wanganui mayor Michael Laws as tacky and unloved, have been removed from their place at the entrance to the city.
Sculptor Merv Richdale carved the birds and people out of five London Plane trees in 2003, with the blessing of the district council.
The artworks ranged from 2.1m to 3m tall and featured a tui, fantail, kea, eagle, moa, shag and the people of Wanganui.
On Saturday, the carvings were removed at the request of the council.
Mr Laws described Richdale as a "fairground entertainer with a chainsaw".
Richdale said removing the sculptures was heartbreaking.
It was the first time in his 15-year carving career he had had to remove his own art work. "Taking them down was awful," he told the Wanganui Chronicle.
The sculptures have been marked for destruction since 2005, when the council decided they should be removed.
Richdale decided to sell them at a tender auction to raise funds for 14-year-old runner Brad Mathas, who is heading to the world junior athletic championships in Italy.
It was some consolation that something positive was coming out of the removal, Richdale said.
A spokesman for Hayward's Auctions said the sculptures were attracting a lot of interest.
For Richdale, it also represents a clean break. He is off to Vancouver in Canada to further his chainsaw carving career.
- NZPA
