Source: Porirua City Council
During a Council planning process several years ago, a group of rainbow rangatahi from Aotea College requested a mural for the city celebrating their community, and Porirua City Council agreed to make it happen.
Last year a group of students from Rainbow Aotea sat down with council officers to work out the process and design brief. Through an expressions of interest process, artists were able to submit their ideas based on the students’ brief. The students decided on two concepts and later selected the final mural image.
Plimmerton’s Heneriata Te Whata was the artist selected to complete the mural. The finished work was recently installed in Ferry Place where it was blessed today by Ngāti Toa Kaumātua Dr Te Taku Parai.
Heneriata said she included the hihi, or stitchbird, for the symbolism of the sun catching the light on its golden wings, lighting a path forward, which is what she feels our diverse communities do for us all.
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said it was nice to see a specific request from young Porirua residents, made during the Long-term Plan process, coming to fruition.
“This has been a great collaboration between the council and rangatahi and we’re proud to have the mural now complete and adding rainbow colours to our city.”
