Rangiora teenager to feature at Te Papa

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

When a Rangiora High School pupil volunteered to help make new kapa haka uniforms he never imagined it would lead to his artwork being chosen for a national exhibition.

But year 10 pupil Tiakihana Tavendale’s efforts in making a maro (the piupiu apron boys wear in kapa haka performances) caught the attention of head of creative arts, Claire Aldhamland.

Last Friday, the maro, made entirely from harakeke/flax, was packed at and sent off to Wellington to appear in Te Papa’s Ringa Toi exhibition.

"As his work developed I could see his mahi was outstanding so I suggested we enter him in level 1 NCEA so he could gain some recognition for his work," Aldhamland said.

It soon became clear the work would qualify for an excellence grade, so Aldhamland decided to apply for the annual Ringa Toil exhibition for secondary school students with a focus on Toi Māori and Pacific arts.

Tiakihana found out only last week his artwork had been accepted and the race was on to get it ready.

"I was so happy because I’ve done all this work and to be recognised is quite special."

Tiakihana, who is of Ngāi Tahu descent, has been a member of the school’s kapa haka group since last year.

When he heard staff were going to make new kapa haka uniforms, he decided to join the teachers after school.

The project has been supported by the Puketeraki Kāhui Ako (Rangiora community of learning), with former Rangiora High School pupils Morehu Flutey-Henare and Sue Tipene offering some tutoring.

Tiakihana learned how to harvest the harakeke/flax from scratch, extracting the stems, fibre and thread he needed from the raw flax.

While the stems were dyed in Rangiora High School colours, Tiakihana was able to tell his own story in his art.

"The steps represent the steps of learning and strength and the muka (fibre) represents my teachers who have made an impact on my life."

Tiakihana is keen to learn about his culture and represented the school in the Ngā Manu Kōrero inter-school speech competition this year with his speech "Unapologetically Māori".

Next year he plans to enter a speech entirely in te reo.

Aldhamland said it was the first time Rangiora High School had applied to enter a student’s artwork in a Te Papa exhibition.

"I never expected to be able to say that I’ve got a student exhibiting at Te Papa.

"But I think it is the start of something because now we know the process."

■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.