Tūmanako (meaning hope) is an annual art exhibition for tamariki to create works of art to share their aspirations for a peaceful Aotearoa.

When Oranga Kindergarten was given the opportunity to take part in the exhibition, it seemed fitting as our tamariki were also having a kōrero around peace and happiness. We held our own hui centred around hope and how to best authentically represent our culturally diverse community. Through our thoughtful dialogue, we decided to create a koru as our collaborative artwork, which signifies peace and new beginnings in te reo Māori. Tūmanako came at the most perfect time, when our community was feeling unsettled and at times disempowered. We hope through this collective journey, it will help to shed light on dark moments.

Our beautiful whānau were gifted a piece of clay to take home and create what peace looked like to them. They not only embraced the learning but blew us away with their kōrero. One of our tamariki commented that peace “sounds like the ocean, like white noise” and another parent said that “peace is being seen, accepted and loved – just as you are. It’s the ocean whisper reminding you, you are enough”.

Our koru took shape over term 3 and was proudly displayed at the heart of Tūmanako Exhibition at the Ellerslie Culture Centre, and later at Takapuna Library.

In reflection, our koru was always about the journey together, seeking hope not only in our lives, but in each other. Tūmanako helped us to draw upon not only our strengths, but work together in a creative process through many warm-hearted dialogues. If we can inspire our tamariki to always hold onto hope and never give up, then we can say that Tūmanako truly did make a difference.