Design for national Erebus memorial unveiled in Auckland

Friday, 5 April 2019

A design that includes a walkway projecting to the horizon has been chosen for the national Erebus memorial.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern unveiled the design on Friday in Auckland's Parnell Rose Gardens, otherwise known as Dove-Myer Robinson Park.

It is called Te Paerangi Ataata – Sky Song and was created by Wellington firm Studio Pacific Architecture, with designer Jason O'Hara and musician Warren Maxwell.

The chosen design for the national Erebus memorial, Te Paerangi Ataata – Sky Song.

The Erebus disaster was the Southern Hemisphere's worst aviation accident.

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Guests watched as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the announcement.

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Two hundred and fifty-seven people died when an Air New Zealand plane ploughed into Mt Erebus in Antarctica on November 28, 1979.

The names of those who died in the crash are written on the walls of the walkway.

Ardern said the design reflected the enormity of the tragedy and provided 'a strong sense of connection and loss'.

It 'provides a sanctuary within its walls, evoking the great emptiness experienced for those who lost their lives', she said.

'It stood out to me because it provided space, much longed-for space for families to be able to realise their individual loved ones, it provided that sense of reflection and reverence.'

As the memorial was created, 257 stainless steel snowflakes would be cut out and given to the families of those who died as a keepsake, she said.

The design was chosen after feedback from victims' families and those who worked on the recovery operation.

On Friday, Ardern thanked representatives of those families for their patience.

'I acknowledge the burden you have carried for so many years in so many ways,' she said.

The memorial was due to be completed in May 2020.

Jacinda Ardern shared the artist's impression of the memorial on social media, and explained how the absence of a memorial was a topic of discussion when she was first elected.

'I remember when I was first elected a discussion started around the Erebus disaster and why, almost 40 years on, there was still no national memorial in New Zealand that families could visit,' the caption read.

She also wrote, 'it's been a long time coming but it's been a privilege to be a small part of it'.

Katherine Carter and Dan Moloney, who were the family participants on the design selection panel, attended the unveiling on Friday.

Carter said the thing about the design that struck her and her mother most was 'the idea of the sky and the journey into the sky'.

'It was a lovely idea as opposed to a memorial that didn't reflect that sense of adventure.'

Carter said the experience was exciting but difficult, because she and Moloney represented a lot of people and their views.

Mayor Phil Goff said the memorial was long overdue.

'With Flight 901 having left from Auckland and many of those on board residents from our city, it is appropriate for the memorial to be built here,' he said.

'The memorial in Dove-Myer Robinson Park, overlooking the Waitematā, is in a beautiful setting, which I hope will provide comfort and solace to those who lost family and friends on Erebus.'

The tragedy was seared into the national conscience, he said.

'The sense of tragedy and loss was absolutely palpable.'

Studio Pacific Architecture founding director Nick Barratt-Boyes said it was a 'privilege' to work on the memorial and pay tribute to the 'adventurous spirit' of the victims.