Pania Guide | Papua | Indonesia | Statue

Pania Guide | Papua | Indonesia | Statue

A 1.5 metre statue of Pania was unveiled at Napier's Marine Parade on 10 June 1954 by then Prime Minister Sidney Holland, and has since been much photographed by tourists. It was commissioned by members of the Thirty Thousand Club after the Anglican Bishop of Aotearoa,Frederick Augustus Bennett, related the legend of Pania to them. Several students from Hukarere Girls College were photographed as models for the statue, and eventually, Mei Irihapiti Robin (now Mei Whaitiri), was selected. A clay likeness of the photograph of Mei and an actual traditional Piupiu skirt were made by the Italian Marble Company of Carrara in Carrara, Italy. The clay model was then used to produce the bronze statue, which is estimated to weigh 60 to 70 kg. The statue has often been compared to the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, both statues are small, bronze, near the ocean, and based on similar stories.