Mustava and the Giant Kauri puppets

This set of puppets were created by New Zealand puppeteer Norbert Hausberg. They are from one of Norbert’s most successful shows - Mustava and the Kauri Giant. This was a show that toured throughout New Zealand between 1993 - 1995 and included about 500 performances in schools and community theatres.

Mustava and the Kauri Giant explores environmental and conservation concerns. In the show the Patupaiarehe saves the kauri from the woodcutter by giving the kauri the power to walk, but the underlying message is clear, 'we can't rely on the Patupaiarehe to save our environment, we have to do it ourselves'.

The show's multicultural perspective was reflective of the era too. Some of the puppets were Māori, but there were also German, Chinese, and European characters. The show was particularly reflective of the focus of the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1990, in that the Commission in charge of celebrations deliberately encouraged a concept around treaty partnership that embraced the many cultures of New Zealand.

Mustava and the Giant Kauri was successful because of its appeal to families, and for making topical issues accessible and comprehensible to children and young people.

All of the marionettes were designed and constructed by Norbert Hausberg. Wooden components were hand-carved out of lindenwood, and the clothing is machine and hand-stitched. Some of the puppets have specialist ‘trick’ componentry so that some parts of the marionette can pop up or out.

Norbert migrated to New Zealand from Germany in 1983. He brought with him a life-time love of puppets and a personal connection to the German puppetry tradition. He was one of the key contributors at the 2015 ‘Out of the Suitcase’ puppet festival in Wellington. He continues to produce new shows and performs throughout New Zealand and overseas.