The iconic Ferns sculpture will be temporarily removed from Te Ngākau Civic Square next week as work on the precinct ramps up.

The spherical artwork depicting five kinds of local ferns by artist Neil Dawson is currently suspended by stainless steel wires in the centre of Te Ngākau Civic Square.

With on-going work in the area, it will be removed on Monday 25 November and put in temporary storage for its protection until the project is finished.

Originally made from aluminium and installed in 1988, the sculpture has had a number of hiatuses in its time due to damage and metal fatigue, with the latest iteration returning as a more durable stainless-steel version in 2018.

Wellington Sculpture Trust chair Jane Black says Ferns is a significant landmark on the city’s horizon so will be missed, but will be back on site one day in a redeveloped Te Ngākau Civic Square

“With Quasi going this week, and Ferns about to depart too, the area will be missing some character, and we’re keen to see how the proposals for development take shape.

“We’ll also take this opportunity to do a bit of maintenance and give Ferns a clean while it’s out of commission for the time being.”

The sculpture and associated plaque will be transported to secure storage on Monday morning – weather permitting.

Ferns was originally a joint commission by the Wellington Sculpture Trust, the NZ International Festival of the Arts, and Te Whare Toi the City Gallery. With funding from ANZ Banking Group, Creative New Zealand, Credit Suisse First Boston, Telecom NZ Ltd, TOWER Group, Saatchi & Saatchi, Scollay Holdings and Wellington City Council.

The Wellington Sculpture Trust commissioned the second iteration in 2018 with the help of its members and private donors.

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