Ta’lia Tuitama, Aribita Teawaki, Aidan De Vocht, Ann Mulligan and Reo Daniela from Horowhenua Learning Centre / Life to the Max.
Ta’lia Tuitama, Aribita Teawaki, Aidan De Vocht, Ann Mulligan and Reo Daniela from Horowhenua Learning Centre / Life to the Max.
Ann Mulligan is moving on from Horowhenua Learning Centre / Life to the Max. Before she left, she gifted the centre a special mural. Here, she explains the meaning behind it.
Within the youth service team at Horowhenua Learning Centre/Life to the Max, I wanted a visual expression of thehard mahi that our young people do for themselves to achieve their goals. Each of the stickers is representative of a different accomplishment.
In the sky: We have chosen to use birds to represent the rangatahi who are upholding jobs, so the small birds indicate part-time employment and the big birds indicate fulltime employment.
On land: In the marae, there are little pēpi representing a parent who has attended and successfully completed their required parenting course.
Additionally, we have included little kete, each with a different number of pounamu attached. Each corresponds to NCEA levels gained.
Ann Mulligan and Aidan De Vocht in front of the mural Ann has gifted to Horowhenua Learning Centre / Life to the Max.
In the sea: Hanging alongside the waka, we have fishhooks, each representing a client who has completed a budgeting course.
Aboard the waka, we also have three different kinds of paddles, each indicating a young person who has received their driver’s licence. The wooden paddles are for learner’s licences, paua shell for restricted licences and pounamu for the full licences.
As you gaze at the mural, be mindful and think about how each of these additions is a young person who has made the effort to take a step forward in their lives and make achievements that will help them for a better and brighter future.
Ann Mulligan is retiring after 12 years of supporting rangatahi in the Horowhenua. She has passed the baton onto Aiden de Vocht who will lead the team of youth coordinators in continuing their life-changing mahi.
