Victoria graduate gives RWC players something to remember

Victoria graduate gives Rugby World Cup players something to remember

A Victoria University design school graduate is behind the piece of New Zealand every man-of-the-match at a Rugby World Cup game will be taking home.

A design from Dave Hakaraia, who recently completed his Master of Design at Victoria, has been selected for the MasterCard Man of the Match trophies which are being presented after each 2011 Rugby World Cup fixture.

Dave, who is of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Pāoa descent, worked with artist Rangi Kipa to create the trophies. The base is made from heart rimu and has an acrylic backrest inserted into it, featuring a mangopare or hammerhead shark design, and supporting a pounamu or greenstone adze.

“The brief was to come up with something uniquely New Zealand,” says Dave.

His winning idea used Google maps to work out the topography of the area surrounding each rugby ground being used during the tournament and the base of the trophies is cut in the same shape.

“So, for example, the trophy presented after the opening game in Auckland has a base shaped like the area around Eden Park. The trophies are also inscribed with the coordinates of the latitude and longitude at each venue.”

The pounamu can be lifted off and worn around the neck and each trophy also comes with a presentation box.

Dave says using indigenous materials means each player will take a little bit of New Zealand away with them and the form of the trophy is a reminder of exactly where they played the match. The mangopare design signifies the strength of the rugby players.

Both Dave and Rangi Kipa are members of Nga Aho, a national network of Māori design professionals, and it was through that collective that Dave heard about the search for a trophy design.
The trophies were made in workshops with some initial machining, although Dave says most of the work was done by hand.

“When I started I thought we’d be able to use machines quite a bit but we ended up doing most of it by hand to get the best finish.”

Dave attended the opening Rugby World Cup match between the All Blacks and Tonga in Auckland where All Black Richard Kahui received the first trophy.

Dave’s idea for the trophies was a natural extension of his focus area in his studies at Victoria which was looking at contemporary ways to express Māori narratives.

The 34-year-old joined the navy after leaving high school and says he never expected to attend university. He was intimidated at first, but then discovered Te Rōpū Āwhina, Victoria’s on-campus whānau for Māori and Pacific students.

“I wouldn’t have completed my undergraduate degree without their support. I didn’t really have the right background for attending university and I struggled at first but got on top of it with help from Āwhina.”

Dave has been involved with Te Rōpū Āwhina for 11 years and acts as a mentor for other students, going out to schools and communities to encourage Māori and Pacific students to succeed in whatever they do.

ENDS

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