A statue of Papatūānuku the Earth Mother that would stand at Bastion Point has been conceived and partially funded.
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Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei put forward the plans for the statue, which would stand between 30m and 50m tall at the harbour's entrance.
The iwi proposed the structure in comparison to New York City's Statue of Liberty (46m) or the Christ the Redeemer above Rio de Janeiro (30m). The Sky Tower reaches 220m high.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei say the statue would be lit up at night and visible from downtown to the North Shore.
Mayor Phil Goff told NZME it "has the potential to be an iconic symbol of Auckland".
"It will reflect the unique culture and identity of our city and be enjoyed equally by Māori, the wider community and international visitors," he said.
Auckland Council has granted $1 million funding for the design and development of the structure.
It is not yet known exactly where on the historic headlands the proposed statue would sit.
In Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the land, a mother earth figure.
In 1886, the Takaparawhau headland where the statue would sit was seized by the government to build a now-demolished Fort Bastion, and the Ngāti Whātua people were moved to a village in Okahu Bay.
However, that land was then taken for a park site in 1951 and the people were again relocated, their old houses and marae burnt down.
Beginning in January 1977, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei occupied the headland for 506 days in an effort to stop a proposed housing development by the government, at the time headed by Robert Muldoon.
In 1984 the iwi lodged a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal and the land was finally returned in 1991. It has been governed in partnership with the Auckland Council ever since.
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