The 11.8-metre-tall (39 ft) piece depicts a kāhu pōkere (harrier hawk), a bird that features as a guardian in Ngāti Whātua and Tainui oral histories.

[1] The piece was commissioned by the society in collaboration with the Edmiston Trust,[2] and supported financially by the New Zealand Lotteries Board Millennium Fund and by the Auckland City Council.

[1][3] Kaitiaki (English: "Guardian")[2] is an 11.8-metre-high (39 ft) black powder-coated steel sculpture that depicts a kāhu pōkere (harrier hawk).

[2][4] Graham chose a kāhu pōkere for the piece due to its appearance in Ngāti Whātua and Tainui oral histories as a guardian that was present in Aotearoa New Zealand prior to the first inhabitants.

[2] Danielle Street, writing for the Central Leader, describes the piece as "enormous [and] towering over the landscape", feeling that it "demonstrates the sense of guardianship that the birds were traditionally known for".