Making history at Taipa

Taipa Area School is now in the designing process of the monument and carved house Pou.

Each house is in charge of designing their pou. There will be four pou, which will represent four navigators who found this place we call Taipa. The names will be chosen out of a hat by our principal, Doreen Bailey, and our deputy principals David Lowe and Robert Rush.

The students who have put their names down to help with their house pou will start designing them next term.

I spoke to the whole school at assembly, and encouraged everyone to get involved in this project, as it will be the making of history for our school. I will be designing the area around the monument, which is a huge honour, because the monument will be in our school forever. This will be the legacy I leave behind when I finish school.

My design will include Mana Potential, the school logo with the seven stars and our school values, Manaakitanga (Respect), Painga (Positive) and Mahitahi (Teamwork). The design will also include the four pou, as we want to recreate the original monument and pay tribute to our school motto ‘By Perseverance Achieve’.

My journey has been amazing, and I am happy that I am doing this for our school. The reason I took this on board was to build a strong connection with our community, as that is what is important to us as a school. I have learnt a lot over the time period. I have attended several meetings, and in doing that I have built my confidence about talking in front of people and improving my communication skills.

I have also learnt what is needed on-site with Fulton Hogan on the Taipa bridge. Being on-site, watching the monument removed from its resting place, really made me feel proud, that it was for real, it was actually coming to our school. The day it came and was placed in its new home on our field I felt so relieved because it didn’t break — a sign that it was meant to be.

I also presented my slideshow to some hapu¯ members John Basset, Trudy Allen and Julie Rickit. I made this slideshow as it takes you on the journey I have been on since October 2017.

It includes the original monument with the pou and up until what I am doing now.

My holiday will include getting the design ready to take place next term.

The monument represents our people being on the water and our school riding a wave to success. The stingray design represents our school values. The seven stars represent the Southern Cross. We found in our first 1956 year book that the school logo had seven stars, so that will be in our recreation, returning them to where they belong.

The names of Ma¯ori Atua will represent Mana Potential, which is a framework we use to connect with how we feel, what we can do for ourselves and what others can do for us.

A footpath at the back of the monument could represent welcoming new students, community and wha¯nau into our school of success. By Perseverance Achieve 1956-2018.

"The reason I took this on board was to build a strong connection with our community, as that is what is important to us as a school."