Graeme Dingle students give shipping container a makeover in Te Puke

Students from the Graeme Dingle Foundation's He Ara Ākonga programme with staff from Pizza Hut, including Mohdeep Sodhi (back left) and programme directors Leah Nesbitt (front left) and Alya Dellaway (back row, third from right).

Greetings.

Visitors to the businesses at Te Puke’s former railway station will now be welcomed with greetings in a variety of languages.

The shipping container alongside Pizza Hut, which previously sported a rising sun, has been repainted by local students from the Graeme Dingle Foundation’s He Ara Ākonga programme.

Mohdeep Sohdi of Pizza Hut says after talking with programme co-ordinator Leah Nesbit and Te Puke Community Board chairwoman Kassie Ellis, it was decided the greetings should be an integral part of the new artwork.

“There is a range of cultures here [in Te Puke], Māori, Indian, Kiwi, Pacific Island - and we should be supporting all of them,” says Mohdeep.

Included is the Punjabi greeting “sat sri akaal” along with “kia ora” and the good old “hello”.

Mohdeep says involving the students was also a way of helping the community.

“We are supporting the kids by creating an opportunity for them with a project that is for the community.”

The colours of the greetings were also carefully chosen, with orange prominent as it is a significant colour for the Sikh community.

The project is part of the students’ community challenge and Graeme Dingle Foundation’s Te Puke programme co-ordinator Alya Dellaway says there are multiple benefits to the community.

“We were wanting to find creative ways of giving back to the community and also give the students the opportunity to network and create a strong bond with the community.”

She says the community challenge can also open students’ eyes to new career opportunities.