Click to find out more about our school mural

We would like to inform you about an internal mural that is being painted down one side of the learning centre at Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School by former student Sam Allen who is based in the Incubator at the Historic Village. The learning centre is used for many different reasons including staff meetings, sharing professional practice, teaching students, community and parent meetings and the development of the Te Ao Māori local curriculum. The centre is often referred to as a meeting house and is architecturally similar to that of a wharenui.

In discussion with the staff at the school, we feel that the mural should reflect the Iwi, Hapū and the multi-cultural diversity of the school. The opportunity to create some artwork that would involve our students and wider community enables us to create something really authentic from the heart and centre of our learning community.

Ōtūmoetai translated means the sleeping tide, part of the school's karakia is ‘Te tai timu, te tai pare’, the low tide and high tide. The area has many stories linked to the tide and ocean and how the Patiki or flounder fish swam along the shores and river inlets in the outlying areas. The school is surrounded by birds like the Tūī which link strongly to Kinomoerua. The school and area are rich in visual imagery, storytelling and cultural identity that we plan to use to link together to form creative opportunities