Rakaia salmon statue
| Rakaia salmon statue | |
|---|---|
 The statue in 2012 | |
| Artist | Phil Price |
| Year | 1991 |
| Dimensions | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Weight | 1.3 tonnes (1.4 short tons) |
| Location | |
The Rakaia salmon statue is a 12-metre-tall (39 ft) sculpture of a salmon in the New Zealand town of Rakaia. Located beside State Highway 1, it was built in 1991 by the sculptor Phil Price, with funding from the local Lions Club. Since 2005, Ashburton District Council has owned the sculpture.
Description
The salmon statue is 12 metres (39 ft) tall[1] and weighs 1.6 tonnes.[2] It is located next to State Highway 1 in the town of Rakaia.[2] The sculpture was designed by the sculptor Phil Price.[1]
History
Rakaia's salmon statue was built in 1991 at a cost of $44,483.[3] It was funded by the community's Lions Club and designed by the sculptor Phil Price.[1] In 2005, the Ashburton District Council was gifted the sculpture[3] and the salmon was refurbished.[4] In 2020 and 2021, the area surrounding the fish was redeveloped.[5]
In June 2024, the council approved a restoration of the sculpture, costing approximately $300,000, after an assessment found that a lot of refurbishment work on the statue was required. The sculpture was moved to Price's workshop in December 2025 for the restoration, which involved a repaint[2] and repairs to the structure's fibreglass.[4] The salmon was reinstalled beside State Highway 1 in February 2026.[6]
After Gore's giant trout statue was given a name (Trevor) in February 2026,[7] Toni Durham of Ashburton District Council stated that there were no plans to name Rakaia's statue.[1]
In February 2026, Greenpeace activists used tape and paper to cover each of the salmon's eyes with black cross ("X") marks to make the fish appear to be dead. They also placed a speech bubble sign on one of the fins to make the fish state that "Fonterra killed my family". Will Appelbe, a Greenpeace freshwater activist, stated that the move was motivated by the decreasing numbers of salmon in the area and said that "The blame for the lack of salmon sits squarely with the dirty dairy industry." Ashburton District Council Mayor Liz McMillan described this act as "disappointing".[8][9] It cost the council $998 (excluding GST) to remove the attachments,[10] and a man was subsequently expected to appear in court on 30 June 2026, charged with vandalising the sculpture.[11]
In popular culture
A 2021 article of Critic Te Ārohi, the magazine of Otago University Students' Association, hypothesised what a fight between Rakaia's salmon statue and Gore's trout statue would look like. The article suggested that Gore's trout sculpture would win the battle.[12]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Council has 'bigger fish to fry' than naming iconic Rakaia salmon statue". Stuff. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Rakaia's famous salmon is on the move". Stuff. 13 December 2025. Archived from the original on 30 June 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Ashburton council approves full scale reno of Rakaia Salmon". 1News. 2 October 2025. Archived from the original on 11 March 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Rakaia's salmon sculpture to get $300,000 makeover". Stuff. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Rakaia's salmon statue needs a makeover". RNZ. 15 June 2024. Archived from the original on 23 November 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Rakaia's giant salmon sculpture restored to glory on State Highway 1". The New Zealand Herald. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Gore's iconic giant trout has finally caught a name". RNZ. 23 February 2026. Archived from the original on 25 May 2026. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ↑ "Who blinded the salmon? Eco protest sparks fury in Canterbury town". Stuff. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ↑ "Rakaia Salmon statue 'vandalised' in protest". The Press. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Reimbursement not ruled out for defacing Rakaia salmon statue". Otago Daily Times. 5 March 2026. Archived from the original on 6 March 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Man charged with vandalism of Rakaia Salmon statue". The Press. 28 May 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Gourley, Erin (2 March 2021). "Who Would Win if the Rakaia Salmon and the Gore Giant Trout Fought to the Death?". Critic Te Ārohi. Archived from the original on 4 June 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.