Whanau Tutor Gets Creative in School

Thanks to the Creatives in Schools funding initiative, Whānau Tutor met last Thursday and Friday to begin the process of creating a mural for the college, reflecting who we are as Māori and where we have come from.

Students were inspired by the ideas of Pita Turei and his knowledge of our local area through storytelling. Discovering that the landscape around us has a story to tell, helped students come up with images that they wanted to share with the college community.

We also had the privilege of hosting Gabriel and Simone from the Auckland Museum to share precious taonga and knowledge of the migration of people, art, and culture through the Pacific to Aotearoa. Having actual objects to hold really helped students to grasp new ideas and start to shape these into something visual.

And we worked with Eliza, an amazing artist, to learn ways we can put all our thoughts onto paper and then into a mural, working alongside one another.  It was an incredible two days, and is only the beginning, as Eliza will be coming back to the college to work with students as the mural begins to take shape.

Rebekah Jeffery – Whānau Tutor, Teacher in Charge