Mural sheds light on Whangārei Hospital's Tumanako Mental Health Unit

Tai Tokerau Māori artists Ana Jakeman and Lenny Murupaenga with the mural they have produced for Whangārei Hospital's Tumanako Mental Health Unit.

Two Northland Māori artists have produced a 46-metre long mural for the upgraded entrance to Tumanako, the inpatient mental health unit at Whangārei Hospital.

Northland District Health Board (NDHB) has unveiled the upgraded entrance way for people coming into Tumanako, which features the mural.

Tai Tokerau artists Ana Jakeman and Lenny Murupaenga spent two weeks constructing and shaping the mural.

"The mural is about the light. It is about the light that existed before time. It's about the light that Io Matua Kore [the supreme being in Polynesian narrative, particularly of Māori] provides for us," Murupaenga said.

The 46-metre-long mural wraps around the walls of the entranceway to Whangārei Hospital's Tumanako Mental Health Unit.

"It is about the light that came to us when Ranginui [the Sky father] and Papatūānuku [Earth mother] were separated. It is about the light that is in each of us. This mural funnels all that light and passes it to anyone who comes through this whare."

The unit has two entrances. The front entrance is open with a reception and waiting room, and the side entrance, where the mural covers the walls, is used to bring in people who require urgent care.

The idea to redesign the entrance came in feedback from people who had been in the unit and said the area needed to be more welcoming.

Northland District Health Board mental health service manager Deborah Barrow was moved to tears when she saw the mural.

In expressing her gratitude for the artwork created, Barrow reflected on how the art made people feel and the difference that would make to people on their healing journey.

"People requiring intensive care are already in tough situations. The last thing they need is to be brought into a space that is cold and void of the manaaki [hospitality] and the aroha that this service is about," she said.

"What Ana and Lenny have given us, and given to anyone coming into our care, is the light and the hope that this space has been missing."

Jakeman, who has experience with mental illness, described the rainbow colours as reflections of hope.

"We wanted to make the space beautiful and welcoming for all. It's now a space for healing. This entrance is the beginning of that journey," she said.