Since it was installed in 2014, the giant flexible steel worm has had to be repaired at least three times, because of wear and tear and vandalism.
Garden team leader Alan Matchett said that as a result of high use, the worm had started to show signs of wear and tear and the garden was working with the contractor who installed the sculpture to investigate ways to prevent that.
``We are working with the local contractor who installed the sculpture to look at ways to respond to this so we can provide for the long-term use and appreciation of this artwork.''
Work on the broken section was expected to start this week and cost between $500 and $1000, Mr Matchett said.
The worm was designed by artist Julia Morison to move and be interactive, but had to be placed lower to the ground after it was installed because over-vigorous play caused it to separate.
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This cost $100,000!
I hope they still have the receipt, after so many failures, it's clearly not fit for purpose.
Perforations and gravity have also played their parts.
A bit of honesty around this work is long overdue, the real cost to start with, the interference in the commissioning process by a group of inexperienced people in the council and time to own up and face the reality that this is not a suitable public art work and unfortunately in it's current form never will be.
The original brief read "the artwork needs to celebrate & acknowledge, through artistic expression, the 150 years of the Dunedin Botanic Garden".
This was meant to be a piece of art ....... NOT A CHILD'S PLAYGROUND!