Mural marks launch of anti racism and inequity drive
Among the new school murals that are going up around town there is one that is a wee bit different. The mural was put up in the Heritage Walkway last week and, while it is the same size as the others, it’s message and meaning are different.
The mural recognises Te Hurihanganui, an initiative to address racism and inequity, that was launched in Te Puke last month.
Fairhaven School’s Tatai Takuiramita and Ange Mcallister have acted as takawaenga — brokering a relationship between the Te Puke community and the Ministry of Education.
Of the six communities selected to trial the initiative, Te Puke was the first to be launched.
Te Hurihanganui will support communities to work together to address racism and inequity so that they can accelerate the achievement and wellbeing of a¯ konga Ma¯ ori and their wha¯ nau.
What works in communities will then be built back into the education system so that there will be a shift for all a¯ konga Ma¯ ori and their wha¯ nau throughout the education system.
Tatai says the mural, which was designed by her brother Adam Keno and painted by the siblings, came about because of the desire to commemorate the initiative’s launch with something lasting.
“That’s when we decided we would do an art piece and a member of the iwi had previously said to us his dream was that everybody leave the launch knowing the pepeha¯ (tribal saying/motto) of our community, which is the reason why it kind of turned out the way it did.”
At the launch she explained the significance of the different elements of the mural.
“We wanted to mark this occasion with something visual, but we had a short time frame. So I had to call in my wha¯ nau . . . in particular my brother Adam Keno, and I want to acknowledge him today — although he will say it was a wha¯ nau effort.”
She said the artwork was “pretty much self-explanatory, but I would like to highlight a few elements of the painting”.
“The paemaunga is the traditional boundary between Waitaha and Tapuika. They are filled with koru which represent the whakapapa, the rich history, and the stories of old, the stories of the whenua we stand on today. The koru signify the relationship that iwi have with their whenua and acknowledge those who have gone before us and the many sacrifices of our tupuna. Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitu¯ te whenua.
“The blue shading on the maunga represent all the contributory streams that flow into our awa Kaituna and Te Raparapa-a-hoe and give them mauri — the life sources that have sustained and provided for the many uri.
“The koru on the bottom signify Tapuika and Waitaha coming together and working together in harmony. They are closely supported by other local iwi, and tangata whenua from across Aotearoa. The other koru symbolise pakeha¯ and tauiwi, in particular our Pasifika and Indian wha¯ nau within our community and the different perspectives they bring.
“Together we are all contributing to, and upholding, the kaupapa of Te Hurihanganui because it’s going to take a collaborative effort from our whole community to make the shifts necessary.
“The yellow shading behind the maunga is the new dawn and indicates changes which are coming
. . . just over the horizon.”
Tatai says everyone involved in the initiative is looking forward to next year when community meetings will be held to enable anyone wanting to contribute to the initiative to take part.