Pou to adorn North Shore District Court

14 September 2010

Two "stunning" pou, carved by prisoners at Auckland Prison, will be unveiled at the North Shore District Court in Albany, Auckland, on 24 September.

Minister for Courts Hon Georgina te Heuheu will be attending the unveiling ceremony, along with officials from the District Court, North Shore City Council and the Department of Corrections.

Mark Lynds, Programmes Manager, Auckland Prison, has driven the carving project following a request from Hon Georgina te Heuheu for prisoners to provide carvings to adorn the building.

“I went along to the courthouse, saw the two steel posts just inside the main entrance, and started thinking about the concept of good and evil,” Mark says. “I then asked the  senior carver to lead a team to carve two pou, four metres in length, and using that concept.”

In June, the concept and design were approved; Mark sourced totara from Northland; and four prisoners set to work on the pou.

“They are stunning – the best work I’ve seen the boys turn out,” Mark says. “The whakapapa and messages behind the carvings are very powerful. Like all art, they are designed to make you stop and think.”