The Raetihi mural on the wall of the covered sports area at the school with Jasmine Follow 12, Caleb Michel-Murphy 12, principal Nuku Wallace, Harry Rowe 9 and Sam Rowe 7.
The Raetihi mural on the wall of the covered sports area at the school with Jasmine Follow 12, Caleb Michel-Murphy 12, principal Nuku Wallace, Harry Rowe 9 and Sam Rowe 7.
The latest mural at Raetihi Primary School adorns the back wall of the covered sports courts at the school. Nga Taonga O Raetihi ("The talents and gifts of Raetihi") was completed last year after the school was a winner in the national Keep New Zealand Beautiful competition. With tukutuku panels at thetop and a backdrop of Ruapehu scenery, there are silhouettes of children participating in sports and arts activities offered at the school. Raetihi and Ohakune schools were the only North Island schools to win the Wall Worthy mural competition last year. The schools' submitted designs met the competition criteria by incorporating ideas that make their towns and schools unique. Raetihi school has won a number of mural competitions and principal Nuku Wallace said the artworks instilled a sense of pride and ownership in students. "I think the students, their families and the whole community place great value on the murals and school buildings," he said. He can only recall one instance of vandalism in the five years he has worked at the school. When work on the mural was about to start last year, the intention was to mount it on the walls of the principal's office located in the former dental clinic at the front of the school. Mr Wallace said the covered sports area was chosen instead because there was more available space and protection from the weather. The principal and students took a break from archery practice to pose with the mural. Harry Rowe, 9, said he enjoyed doing all the activities depicted on the mural. Winners of the 2016 Wall Worthy competition have been announced and James Cook School in Marton was selected for its Celebrating the Rangitikei design. The students have until the end of Term 3 to complete their mural. Keep New Zealand Beautiful chief executive Heather Saunderson said the nationwide initiative was a behavioural change campaign aimed at the elimination and prevention of graffiti vandalism.
