Huia Feather Sculpture | Black Maire | Limited Edition #5| Reclaimed NZ Native

“Legacies of Aotearoa” — LIMITED EDITION | NZ Native Timber “Black Maire & Kahikatea” #5. Reclaimed shearer’s shed flooring slats.

Artist | Desmond Smith Dimensions | 700mm x 85mm x 35mm

This handcrafted sculpture is part of the Legacies of Aotearoa series — a special limited-edition collection celebrating the rare and culturally significant materials of New Zealand. Only a handful of these sculptures will ever be created in this sub-series, each individually numbered and personally signed by the artist, Desmond Smith.

Crafted from reclaimed native hardwood Black Maire. Before becoming art, this timber spent over 100 years standing as a giant on the land, followed by another 100 years forming the floor of an old sheep’s wool shed.

To complete the full-circle journey of this precious timber, sculpture “01” will be gifted back to the original farm owners to where this precious timber came from.

This sculpture of a Huia feather, chosen for its powerful symbolism. The Huia — treasured, rare, and now extinct — represents prestige, uniqueness, and cultural significance. As the feather was carved, the process stripped away a century of wool-shed wear and weathering, revealing the rich, beautifully figured grain that had been hidden beneath. This transformation mirrors the deeper meaning of the piece — uncovering beauty, honouring heritage, and breathing new life into something once forgotten.

Black Maire itself is one of Aotearoa’s hardest, densest, and most revered native hardwoods, traditionally used for tools, implements, and fine craftsmanship due to its exceptional strength and waxy, polished finish.

Because each Huia feather is carved with meticulous detail — a slow, demanding process — The small number of these sculptures will be released gradually over time. Thanks.