A magpie, a rook, and a myna bird represent colonial rangers and their mercenary leader, Gustavus Ferdinand von Tempsky. Their presentation as introduced birds is deliberate, symbolising the arrival of colonial forces in Meaning New Zealand .
Facing them are a tuuii, a huia, and a kokakoo. These indigenous birds represent Hauhau warriors fighting to protect and regain their Meaning Land, earth, placenta .
By giving each soldier the form of a bird, the artist strips away uniforms and flags, leaving only the confronting relationship between colonial forces and Meaning Local people, indigenous people .
The Ghosts of Battle
The soldiers are painted as ghostly, faded figures, with the artist describing them as “souvenirs or a battle not forgotten”.
“Although toy soldiers are things of childhood, they have always represented to me society’s acceptance of something that should be questioned or at least understood because lessons of history are so soon lost.”
Von Tempsky and the Hau Hau
Gustavus Ferdinand von Tempsky (1828–1868) was a Prussian‑born mercenary and artist who fought for the British in the New Zealand Wars.
Paakehaa remember him as something of a folk hero for his charismatic leadership, watercolour paintings and reflective writings. However, Von Tempsky is remembered by Maaori for his unnecessarily violent aggression towards their communities.
Von Tempsky was shot and killed in September 1868 by a Hau Hau fighter at Te Ngutu o te Manu in Taranaki. His body was not recovered and was later burned on a funeral pyre at the Meaning Open area in front of the main meeting house .
Artist Statement
"Here I depict a set of six soldiers from New Zealand history as a traditional set of Victorian toys with some foliage and a campfire. The two Rangers and Von Tempsky, their mercenary leader, are shown as a Magpie, a Rook and a Myna bird, all introduced birds. Their adversaries are the Hau Hau. These Maori guerrilla fighters were fighting to regain their land and are shown as a Tui, a Huia and a Kokako, all indigenous birds."
"Although toy soldiers are things of childhood, they have always represented to me society's acceptance of something that should be questioned or at least understood because lessons of history are so soon lost. Von Tempsky, the artistic mercenary, died at the hands of the Hau Hau and the Hau Hau's cause was soon lost. My figures are ghostly faded figures, souvenirs of a battle not forgotten."
Dive Into The Detail
Magpie, Rook, and Myna
The artist casts Von Tempsky and his rangers as introduced birds. This choice echoes colonial forces arriving in Aotearoa and reshaping its history, people, and landscapes.
Ghostly, faded paintwork
The surface of these toy soldiers are softly worn and muted. The ghostly faded figures evoke old souvenirs kept long after battle, encouraging remembrance and the dangers of forgetting our past.