Pukekohe mural shining brightly for Mātauranga Māori
The Pukekohe town square has been adorned with a mural to honour te ao Māori and Mātauranga Māori’s place in the heart of the Franklin district.
Local artist Jimmy James Kouratoras designed a mural to cover the town centre wall on Devon Lane with the brightest of colours to catch the eye and warm the heart, he said.
The mural is the first of what is hoped to be a town-wide project, led by Pukekohe High School art teacher Catherine Tamihere.
With funding from the Franklin Local Board, Tamihere was able to commission Kouratoras’ mural and get 20 year 10 students alongside him, brushes in hand.
“In the mural, there is reference to Tāne Mahuta, the first hei tiki. There are connections with te reo Māori and cuisenaire rods, there is whakapapa in there, there is Te Puia, there is Tawhia the male element, and the teachings of Te Wheke.”
Have you seen the mural on Devon Lane? What do you think?
Read more: www.stuff.co.nz...
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Harbour Bridge lane closure - protests
The Treaty Principles Bill was introduced to parliament last week and could have ramifications on the partnership between the Crown and Māori.
Hīkoi mō te Tiriti (March for the Treaty of Waitangi) set off from Cape Rēinga on Monday morning and is expected to reach Wellington next Tuesday. It has now passed through Kaitaia, Kawakawa, Whangārei, Dargaville and is passing through Auckland on Wednesday.
What you need to know today:
- The hīkoi is due to cross the Auckland Harbour Bridge about 9.30am on Wednesday. Two northbound lanes will be closed at some point before the crossing, and remain closed during it.
- NZTA shared at 8:50am Wednesday:
'Curran St northbound on-ramp will be closed shortly, with two northbound lanes on the Harbour Bridge expected to close from approx 9.30am this morning. Allow extra time for likely delays through this area.'
- The hīkoi is expected to go across the Harbour Bridge, in a controlled fashion before marching through parts of the CBD towards Okahu Bay.
- Auckland commuters should expect traffic disruption in vicinity of both sides of the Harbour Bridge.
Stuff reporter Steve Kilgallon was at Stafford Park on the north side of the Harbour Bridge at 8.30am Wednesday and shared:
"I just walked through Stafford Park, where there’s about 400-500 people quietly assembled and more arriving; and about 20 police standing over near the motorway off ramp. Lot of Tino Rangatira flags in evidence, local streets very busy with parked cars."
Police have shared that they will respond accordingly to any issues that may arise along the route.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
.
Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
-
85.1% Yes
-
13.4% No
-
1.5% Other - I'll share below