Sculpture on the Gulf
Photo Peter Rees.
Charlotte’s service to the arts and culture in Aotearoa New Zealand includes her initiating sponsorship and directing philanthropic funding to key national initiatives and events such as the Perpetual Guardian Sculpture on the Gulf and NZ Sculpture on Shore events in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland.
This was particularly important during the pandemic, when opportunities for artists to showcase their works and engage with their audience, and for charities to raise funds were strained. Charlotte’s contribution ensured the support of local artists and the staging of these events, which depend on sponsorship; they are important in the local arts calendar and significant to the community.
Much of Charlotte’s philanthropic work has brought attention to the climate crisis and the need to protect our natural environment. For the 2019 Climate Action Summit, Charlotte directed philanthropic funding to publicly stage a work by artist Joseph Michael, The Summit Iceberg, on the exterior of the iconic United Nations General Assembly building in New York City.
The installation featured a sequence of icebergs with compositions by New Zealand composer Rhian Sheehan and traditional Māori instrumentation (Taonga pūoro). The second half of the projection sequence focused on strong, positive messaging in relation to the Climate Action Summit 2019 goals, and the actions that can and must be taken in response to the climate crisis. Charlotte attended the unveiling of the installation to explain its significance and help draw further attention to the messaging and the visual and musical artists’ work.
As a resident of Auckland’s Waiheke Island as well as the United Kingdom, Charlotte is actively involved in her community, taking part in local projects including conservation projects/advocating for due care of special and historic land, including the restoration of a neglected repo (wetland) in Onetangi, and also running businesses on the island including Obsidian and Postage Stamp Wines.
Waka Story
On Waiheke, a six-metre-tall Pōhutukawa tree had fallen in the backyard of philanthropists Charlotte and Andrew’s property. They sought an artist to give the tree new life, eventually picking Waiheke Māori ringatoi / carver Anton Forde for the project who carved a 16-metre waka sculpture from the fallen tree, which is now permanently located at Postage Stamps Wine, in Onetangi, Waiheke Island.
To celebrate the UK – New Zealand connection, Charlotte and Andrew also commissioned Anton Forde to create a sculpture sit outside UK High Commission in Wellington.
