There were audible gasps from students at Te Kura o Take Kārara yesterday (Wednesday September 28) as the school’s new pou - carved posts to mark a place of significance - were unveiled.

Artist and woodcarver/kaiwhakairo Steve Solomon revealed the trio of pou, which have been installed in the school yard to be enjoyed by current and future generations of students.

Steve shared with the crowd the significance and meaning behind the details: from their connection to Māori legends and references to the school logo to elements like pukeko footprints and the incorporation of hoe (oars) on each pou.

The pou unveiling ceremony also included music, dance and speeches.

“I hope it will spark your inquisitive minds to keep learning more,” Steve told the students.

The local school is located on land which was once a settlement where Māori would come together to gather food - a kāinga mahinga kai - and Take Kārara is its historic name, gifted to the school by Ngai Tahu.

Artist Steve Solomon unveiling the pou.

Te Kura o Take Kārara establishment board of trustees chair Ian Hall described the pou as amazing. 

“Steve, this is beyond anything that we could have expected,” he said. 

There is an oar (hoe) on the rear-side of each of the pou, one of many special details. 

He thanked Ngai Tahu representatives for their continued involvement with the school. 

Ian said the installation of the pou marked the start of a new chapter for the school: it follows the completion of its pump track, the construction of a new playground, and other steps.

“This really brings the establishment phase of the school to completion,” Ian said. “The school really now feels like an established school.”

Students and visitors gathered to witness the unveiling of the pou.

The Ministry of Education signalled its intention to build a new primary school in Wānaka in 2017 as the result of growth projections for the Upper Clutha. Construction of the school began in early 2019 and it opened in 2020.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App