Origami dolphins return to Waikato
Origami dolphins hang in gallery at Waikato Museum.
Raglan community created a 'curtain of dolphins' to stop the species from becoming a museum relic
The eye-catching, hand-folded origami dolphin exhibit travelled to Waikato after being on display at Wellington's Te Papa. The Raglan community hopes the exhibit will send a powerful message to stop the extinction of Maui’s, and ensure the next generation of children will still be able to see the dolphins in the ocean, and not as a relic in a museum.
Raglan Area School's head boy, Whirinaki Maniapoto-Waitere, said: “We are very worried about the decreasing numbers of Maui’s dolphins – there are only 111 left. Our home, Whaingaroa, is also home to the Maui’s dolphin. They are a local taonga, and we see ourselves as their kaitiakitanga.”
The Raglan community was inspired by surfer Peggy Oki, who had visited Raglan each year since 2007 during its Maui’s Dolphin Day. A committed conservationist, Oki was deeply concerned to learn that Maui’s dolphins were on the brink of extinction, and told the local community of the Japanese legend that says if you fold 1000 paper cranes the gods will grant your wish, and of her own 1400 origami whales project to protest commercial whaling.
The community immediately got behind the idea as a way of sending their conservation wish. With Peggy’s help, they made 1000 so their wish would be granted, and also to represent how there were many more dolphins before the 1970s; and the extra 111 to remind people of how few Maui’s dolphins were estimated to be left.
WWF-New Zealand's then Maui's education coordinator, Victoria Travers, said: "The curtain of 1111 origami Maui's dolphins is a beautiful and inspiring exhibition that sends a powerful message about a national conservation emergency.”
“We are seeing a groundswell of action across New Zealand from communities such as Raglan who want Maui’s dolphins to recover their numbers. Maui’s are facing a very uncertain future but the commitment and sense of guardianship of the Raglan community for dolphins gives us great hope for the survival of the species,” she said.
Raglan Area School’s head boy Whirinaki Maniapoto-Waitere speaks at the blessing.
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Origami dolphins on display in Waikato Museum, Feb 2010.
Maui's dolphins are currently the world's rarest marine dolphins.