Rangatahi bringing community stories to life through co-created mural in South Auckland
A vibrant mural showcasing the pūrākau (story) of a community place in South Auckland is currently in progress, thanks to the creative efforts of rangatahi from the local area.
This is part of the Kia ora Te Whānau initiative with the goal of fostering community engagement and ownership by co-designing artwork for the Te Pātaka Kōrero o Waimāhia/Te Matariki Clendon Community Centre.
The aim of Kia ora Te Whānau is to create Auckland Council facilities that are welcoming, engaging, and highly valued by local whānau.
Kia ora Te Whānau is guided by three pou:
Pou Hauora: whānau live well, are happy and healthy.
Pou Oritetanga: equitable access to facilities to grow community well-being kaupapa.
Pou Mātauranga: an inclusive approach to activate spaces to learn and play.
The mural initiative specifically aligns with Pou Mātauranga and involves tamariki and rangatahi focusing on the story of an important local ancestor shared by mana whenua. The mural work is supported by Manurewa Local Board, Healthy Families South Auckland and Auckland Council’s Active Communities.
Tammy Potini, a co-lead of Kia ora Te Whānau and member of Auckland Council’s Māori Outcomes, notes that while some tamariki initially felt nervous about creatively responding to the ancestral story, their hesitations transformed into pride and satisfaction as the value of their creations was recognised and affirmed.
"The children crafted taonga such as wind chimes, necklaces, and pendants, which they cherished and either kept or gifted to others," says Tammy. "Through these creative activities, a safe space was established, allowing them to open up and share personal experiences and stories, particularly related to their connections with the natural environment, including maunga and moana."
Staff members played a crucial role in creating an environment that enhanced mana and facilitated the creative activities.
“They initiated enjoyable collaborative games in Te Reo Māori, fostering a sense of playfulness and putting tamariki and rangatahi at ease,” says Tammy. “Throughout the creative process, the staff members provided encouragement and reassurance, emphasising the value of each participant's contributions and offering support. This approach fostered a sense of manaakitanga and empowered tamariki and rangatahi to collaborate and uplift each other's mana.”
The co-creation of artwork aims to depict the various types of kaimoana collected along the estuary edge of Weymouth/Clendon. It also celebrates Te Ākitai tupuna whaea, the library's namesake, and her skills in mātaitai (gathering seafood) and hi ika (fishing).
“The artwork serves as a means for the community to learn and understand their stories, continuing conversations about waterways and our cultural identity within the fabric of our whare (library),” says Te Pātaka Kōrero o Waimāhia library manager Chris Fifita.
“The artwork will reflect the community's unique style and convey the significance of certain shellfish endemic to the area and our tupuna whaea. Furthermore, it aims to enhance community knowledge of the relationship our places have with wai and deepen understanding of Māori place names.”
A local artist will now use the work of the rangatahi to begin putting together the final mural artwork.
Healthy Families South Auckland’s senior strategist Kaupapa Māori, Rereahu Collier, says this is one part of working with Auckland Council to improve their practices and policies that will allow Council to become a stronger health-promoting organisation.
“And we can see that now flowing into the libraries and how they grow a workforce with an understanding of an indigenous world view in practice. Pouturiki Community Library Managers are now embedding this into their vacancy adverts, position descriptions and interview processes so that workforces can deliver services guided by maatauranga, oritetanga and hauora.”