Mei Whaitiri, Model For Pania Of The Reef Statue In Napier, Dies

Thursday, 21 November 2024, 8:59 pm
Article: RNZ

Mei Whaitiri, who was the model for Napier's famous Pania of the Reef statue in the 1950s, has died.

Her daughter, former politician Meka Whaitiri, posted the news on Facebook.

"Our hearts are shattered with the sudden loss of our beloved mum, nan & nanny ma," she wrote.

"She passed away peacefully this morning at home surrounded by her whānau."

The Pania of the Reef statue was unveiled at Marine Parade in June 1954 by then-Prime Minister Sidney Holland, Napier City Council said on its website.

"Six students from Hukarere Māori Girls' College were chosen as possible models for the sculpture," it said.

"The final honour went to 15-year-old Mei Robin [Whaitiri] - her face was the model for the bronze founding done by the Italian Marble Company of Carrera in Italy."

Whaitiri attended the unveiling ceremony along with other students, it said.

The council described Pania of the Reef as among the city's most recognised and photographed attractions.

In 1974 Whaitiri's daughter, 14-year-old Joanne Whaitiri, posed as Pania on a float designed and built for the 1974 City Centennial.

Mei Whaitiri will be taken to Kohupatiki Marae in Clive on Friday, where she will lie until her funeral service at 11am on Sunday, Meka Whaitiri said.

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