Archie Hargrave

The Guardian

The recent wet weather events New Zealand has faced has scarred the nation. Giving people something called ‘rain anxiety’. It has made people second guess themselves when approaching how to deal with all the problems surrounding wet weather. One of these problems is the rising of water levels in rivers, causing overflow, wreaking havoc to nearby populated areas. As we can’t control the inevitable, ‘The Guardian’ will be put in place to provide users protection and a better way of managing themselves when disaster strikes.

Being placed in an area of concern, ‘The Guardian’ has water detection sensors within its body, helping communicate live data to alert systems and the app connected to the product. This helps users better manage and prepare themselves, taking the tension and anxiety away from the subject. Each ‘Guardians’ appearance is catered to its location. This one in the city of Napier has an art deco style shape with hydrodynamic properties to help it function. It is seven metres high with plating on the side the water flow is coming from. ‘Tukutuku - Niho Taniwha’ is represented on the plating meaning strength and resilience, a fitting characteristic to have with the task it has been given.