Te Atatū Walls Mural Project 2024

18 possible blank walls have been identified around the Te Atatū Peninsula Community Centre and the Te Atatū shops. The goal is to turn this concept into an ongoing mural project working with local artists, the community and local schools to add new murals every year.

The community was encouraged to come and watch the murals being painted, particularly over the weekend when all the artists were working. Many people took the opportunity go for a walk, visit all the murals and get a coffee from a local business. Others discovered the murals simply from getting food or takeaways, going to the supermarket or walking their dog.

The most regular comment all the artists received was "thank you for doing this for our community" as well as receiving lots of questions and opportunities to talk about the kaupapa.

My mural depicts the migration of the kuaka (godwit) who have a special connection to Te Atatū Peninsula. Every spring thousands of kuaka land on the shell banks at the tip of the peninsula having flow all the way from the arctic circle in Alaska. The kuaka hold the record for the longest migratory flight, flying over 12,000km to feast on the cockles our unique coastal environment provides.

For Māori the kuaka was a bird of mystery because no one could find their nest or their eggs. I have included the Māori whakatauki (proverb) “Kia kite te kōhanga kuaka” (Who has seen the nest of the kuaka?). This is because around about now (March/April) the kuaka lift off in the thousands and migrate all the way back to Alaska to nest.

I opened up my mural to the public allowing people to help paint when they stopped by to observe. This was a huge highlight with kids and parents alike. Many asked when they could to this again. Creating a specific mural for the community to paint is something we would like to do in the future.

This mural reflects the unique and precious (and precarious) environment that surrounds us on Te Atatū Peninsula. The artist has chosen to highlight some of the smaller, lesser noticed taonga of the wetland and to try and create a future-hopeful feel of natural abundance. The main focus is the tuangi (or cockle) which is a vital taonga species to the health of the shellbanks of Motu Manawa and the sustenance of endangered manu that inhabit and visit the surrounding tahuna.

The inspiration for this mural was remembering a time when the Te Atatū catchment was a thriving wetland populated by a diverse range of native fauna such as the rare kōtuku (White Heron). The kōtuku is placed on the backdrop of a stylised Pātikitiki tukutuku pattern (Customary diamond shape lattice work) as the catchment was also a pātaka kai, abundant with kaimoana like pipi, tuangi and pātiki.

The unfurling and unfolding bulbs and flowers of the Whau tree (Entelea arborescens) exemplifies the journey of the Māori creation narrative. From Te Kore, the realm of potential and energy, through Te Pō, the darkness, and born into Te Ao Mārama- the world of light. Unfolding and evolving, growing and unfurling like the bulbs of the whau tree flower, towards the light.