When planning this installation, the aims were to link to the beautiful carved pou in the hall, to make our values explicit to the community, and to show that our school is innovative while respecting our traditions. We also hoped to add value to our community by creating a visible marker of welcome to the city.

Hemi Sundgren visited our school to understand the values and look for physical representations of what we value. He spent time with the carved pou and the tukutuku panels in the hall. Hemi visited Tuhonohono and walked around the school to get a sense of what is important to us. He then provided Jennie Aitken-Hall of Hall of Design with ideas for the design, which were brought to life by Logan Sutton and the team at Future Grafix. This included the idea of illumination at night, with red and blue representing the school colours and orange for the bricks of the buildings and the earth. 

Hemi focused on three tukutuku patterns in particular, as these were already present in our school and he felt they made links with our values. Please see the images below for information from the design proposal. Each shares the background of the pattern,  the links to the values, and the school’s Latin motto. We have integrated these symbolic patterns into our school signage and website. For instance, the niho taniwha pattern, linked to relationships, is featured on all our directional signage to extend a warm welcome to our school and reflect our commitment to caring for one another. The purapura whetū pattern, representing respect for the past, present, and future, adorns our school hall, where new families, current students and alumni often gather, embodying our aspiration to collaborate for a brighter future. The poutama pattern, associated with responsibility and personal growth, is prominently displayed on the Drama room. This is highly visible as you enter the main school entrance, signifying a place of learning and knowledge sharing.

We plan to incorporate these three visual symbols into sports uniforms, certificates, and other school items, serving as a constant reminder of the values that guide our interactions within the school community.

An article in the Taranaki Daily News when the pou were first unveiled can be found here.