Resene Wall Worthy Competition

Awhi Tairawhiti Barnardos Early Learning Centre, Gisborne

Tūrangawaewae – Our Place to Stand

The design was a concept that came from the tamariki, kaiako and whānau discussing what we would like and what is important to us.

Our centre Awhi Tairāwhiti Barnardos Early Learning Centre opened in March 2023. It is the first of it’s kind for Barnardos in the way that it is a centre on the same site as the Barnardos social services. Both teams work together to support and make a lasting difference in the lives of many whānau in our community.

Our children love to learn about Māori Atua and listen to traditional pūrākau and reflect on how these stories have an impact on their lives today. This has lead us to want to install a mural which incorporates Ranginui, Papatuānuku and includes local awa, ngahere and maunga that connect our tamariki to their whenua. When engaged with their environment our children will grow to love and protect it.

Broadgreen Intermediate School, Nelson

Bridging the Gap

We have a stream called Poormans Stream which runs between two local schools. There is a shared pathway which students walk along from both schools and also the local college. The stream has a lot of rubbish thrown into it from the pathway. We want to raise awareness to all students and members of the public to not throw rubbish over the fence into it.

Burnham School, Burnham

Tūrangawaewae

At our school we treasure and celebrate our Manu – birds! Our classes are named after the birds that used to populate our land. We would like to showcase these to our visitors and with future planting hope to entice more of our birds to return to us.

Our mural will show our birds and the winds that make up our local story (Tu te Raki Whanoua). The importance of this is that it is the local history of our spaces. To see a mural of this would be vital to our community. We need visual reminders for our community, children and families of who we once were, and hope that with conservation efforts, Burnham can be a place that we could recreate in the future.

Kauri Park School, Auckland

Birds of a feather

Our students have been researching native New Zealand birds, their threats and predators and how we can support them. This links into our school pest trapping programme that we run with help from Pest Free Kaipatiki. We want to represent these birds on our mural along with our school logo, the kauri tree. This kauri tree represents our school and our roles as kaitiaki of our whenua.

Along with the overall concept, we have included photos of some of the designs the students have done of their birds as we are very keen for students to have some individual ownership over the mural.

Kelburn Playcentre, Wellington

Pukehinau, Day and Night

This mural is a celebration of the biodiversity of Pukehinau/Kelburn, Wellington and a call to Kaitiakitanga or Guardianship of the natural world.

The “Day” scene features native flora and fauna found within our centre. It depicts ti kouka and harakeke, natives planted by former members, as well as tui and the native bee. The focal point is the kaka which is a frequent and remarkable visitor to our space. In the background are the hills which are such a distinctive element of our area. The figures stand in the scene as guardians of the environment, watching on with awe at its splendour. The use of the family groups show how we work as a parent-led organisation, but it also illustrates the passing of knowledge through generations, about the importance of conservation.

The “Night” scene depicts a group of children observing glow worms on a hill side. The worms spell out “Pukehinau,” the te reo name of our area and Playcentre. A native ruru presides over and in the sky is the Matariki constellation. This is a depiction of a yearly tradition of our Playcentre community, when we take go to see the glow worms at the nearby gardens. It is an opportunity for our tamariki to experience the beauty and wonder of our local environment.

Roto-o-Rangi School, Cambridge

Our Connections

The environmental message incorporated into the mural design emphasises our interconnectedness with nature and the importance of collective action to protect the environment. Through symbolic elements such as Maungatautari Mountain, the Waikato River, the kauri tree, and native birds, the mural communicates themes of strength, resilience, and harmony in nature.

The inclusion of the Maori proverb “E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū” reinforces the message of unity and cooperation, highlighting the value of appreciating diversity and working together to create a sustainable future. Additionally, the imagery of the sun, rainbow, and Matariki represents the celebration of diversity and cultural heritage, emphasising the interconnectedness of environmental stewardship and community well-being.

Overall, the mural’s environmental message encourages viewers to recognise their role as stewards of the Earth and to collaborate in protecting and preserving our natural world for future generations.

Selwyn Park Primary School, Dargaville

Summer Wairua

This mural design celebrates the Wairoa River (which extends from the Wairua) which our town is built along. It’s a life sustainer, as a river full of creatures and motion. Wairua is the Māori translation for soul, or spirit, and in this image we wanted to convey that it not only sustains life, but sustains our spirit.
The image also represents the feeling of joy and fun that we all feel in summer, and going swimming!

Takapuna Normal Intermediate School

Be Better Kaitiaki

The tamariki worked hard to construct images that depict kaitiakitanga of our beautiful moana, the impacts of climate change and how time is running out, invasive species verses the declining marine species in Aotearoa. The most pivotal are the penguin in the shape of an hour glass to depict time running out and the impacts of global warming and climate change. The octopus tentacles are depicted as a film strip to demonstrate the invasive and endangered species and that one day all we will have is memories through photos. The actual version will be much larger and show current endangered marine species and their numbers and invasive species and their numbers.

Waimea College, Richmond

Look After the Future

Passion ignited within our environment club as we delved into the pressing climate issues close to our hearts. Eager to shed light on these crucial issues in the environment, we embarked on a journey to select the focal points for our mural. Through a survey where people both in and out of Waimea College gave their opinions and thoughts, we found a resounding concern: the ominous surge of carbon emissions and its profound impact on our planet.

With this revelation, we found that the best way to showcase this reality was to create an image including New Zealand’s natural beauty being destroyed by infrastructure and machinery. Our mural serves as a poignant reminder, not only of the breathtaking landscapes we cherish, but also of our collective responsibility in protecting them. With every stroke of paint, we aim to stir souls and ignite a movement towards preserving the very essence of our environment.

Waiotira Primary School, Waiotira

Ko tātou tēnei – This is Us

We strive to teach our children at Waiotira Primary school to be resilient sustainable problem solvers, who can provide for themselves and grow healthier communities together. After Covid, when we were isolated for so long, supplies cut off and our usual way of life drastically shifted we knew we needed to ensure our students have the skills so they could take care of their wellbeing. We decided to teach through a lens of sustainability, and resourcefulness and get back to some basics. Cooking, sharing, working together, participating in our communities, learning how to feed ourselves and our community, respecting each other, and sharing knowledge. This mural symbolises our journey to these shared goals.