A New Addition At CUE Haven

One of our aspirations for CUE Haven has always been to make it a place that the community felt a sense of ownership and pride in. And one of the most rewarding aspects of the project is seeing people become connected to each other and the property.

As a result of a whole series of wonderful community connections, we now have a fantastic addition to the CUE Haven landscape.

A few years ago our friends, Renate and Sol introduced us to Piet, who is a horticulturist and loves growing rare and endangered plants.  Pete introduced us to the kakabeak, a native NZ plant that is endangered, and he gifted us a few small kakabeak plants to grow at CUE Haven. After a few challenges and setbacks we now have three beautiful kakabeak bushes which flower profusely in late winter/early spring.

Last year, our friend Shanthie asked if she could bring her friend, Deborah Moss, who is an artist and a writer, for a visit to CUE Haven while we were away overseas.  Shanthie and Deborah spent some time exploring the place.  The kakabeaks were blooming and Deborah was inspired by them and created a beautiful big sculpture titled – She Will Always Bloom – Ode to the Kakabeak.

Deborah’s beautiful sculpture was selected for display at the Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens – Under the Kaipara Skies 2016 Exhibition which featured unique works of talented NZ and international artists.

When the sculpture exhibition ended in October 2016, Deborah got in touch with us to say that she wanted to gift her beautiful work of art to CUE Haven. Wow!!

We are totally overwhelmed by Deborah’s generosity and are thrilled to have a beautiful art work of a very talented NZ artist on permanent display at CUE Haven.

TITLE: SHE WILL ALWAYS BLOOM – ODE TO THE KAKABEAK

 Materials: Perspex, exterior paint, UV exterior protective glaze, marine cable wire, powder-coated, zinc-dipped galvanised steel. Hand-painted and glazed both sides.

H x W x D: 3100 x 1500 x 100mm.

Deborah Moss, Artist & Writer comments —

The phrase “endangered species” is often associated with animals. I wanted to feature New Zealand’s most endangered native plant as a reminder of how other natural specimens are also threatened.

The compass symmetry of my piece references global conservation efforts and our interconnectedness – a reminder that when a species is threatened or lost anywhere, it is significant to the entire world.

By celebrating the beauty of the Kakabeak in this magnificent setting, which is in close proximity to the only remaining wild species of the plant found on Moturemu Island in the Kaipara Harbour, I hope to provoke discussions about endangered plants and threatened habitats and our capacity to take steps to achieve a positive outcome for our generation and future generations – so they can “always bloom.”

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Last month we finally had an opportunity to meet the very lovely Deborah Moss when she came out to CUE Haven with her husband, Aaron, to help us select a suitable site for the sculpture which we have now named the “Kakabeak Platform.”

When we did site prep for the planting and put in access roads, we had the digger man create several platforms that we used to stage the plants before they were planted.  They have been gravelled over and there was never any plan to plant them. We always intended to turn them into rest/picnic areas for visitors with benches and artwork. The largest of these platforms is also the closest to the property entrance. We selected this site as it would be easy for visitors to get to without having to take a long walk.

A few days later, Aaron came out with Paul, an industrial designer, to install the Ode to the Kakabeak sculpture in its new home on the Kakabeak Platform at CUE Haven.

The sculpture is 3.1 metres high and the easy part was digging the hole!  The hard part was positioning the sculpture at the correct angle and ensuring it was straight.

The sculpture is a fantastic addition to the CUE Haven landscape.  Our plan is to plant kakabeaks around the platform and to install benches for visitors to enjoy the area.  May the kakabeaks always continue to bloom at CUE Haven!

Here is a virtual tour of the Kakabeak Platform—but it won’t look this way for long as we continue to plant it out and develop it further.

Our heartfelt thanks to Deborah for her most amazing gift.  It is really wonderful knowing that people feel a special connection to CUE Haven and want to contribute their time and talent to create something beautiful and share it with the wider community.

Thank you very much Deborah.  We know your amazing work of art “SHE WILL ALWAYS BLOOM – ODE TO THE KAKABEAK” will help raise awareness of our beautiful endangered plant.

Deborah admiring the kakabeak flowering at CUE Haven.

The phrase “endangered species” is often associated with animals. I wanted to feature New Zealand’s most endangered native plant as a reminder of how other natural specimens are also threatened.

The compass symmetry of my piece references global conservation efforts and our interconnectedness – a reminder that when a species is threatened or lost anywhere, it is significant to the entire world.

By celebrating the beauty of the Kakabeak in this magnificent setting, which is in close proximity to the only remaining wild species of the plant found on Moturemu Island in the Kaipara Harbour, I hope to provoke discussions about endangered plants and threatened habitats and our capacity to take steps to achieve a positive outcome for our generation and future generations – so they can “always bloom”.

—Deborah Moss, Artist & Writer

You can learn more about Deborah and her work here.