Ceramic koru blessed and painted for Waikato 125

Hamilton's Kaumatua Tame Pokaia blessed the Koru before they were painted. Photo / Craig Brown

More than 30 students from schools across Hamilton and Te Awamutu visited Splashy Studios in Hamilton to paint special koru for the Waikato 125 initiative led by Hamilton city councillor Angela O'Leary.

Championed by Ms O'Leary, Waikato 125 provides a platform for Waikato citizens to nominate women they believe stand out in their community, who work actively to make a difference.

The aim is to identify and celebrate the achievements of women in the Waikato from the past to the present through historical stories, video and a special event on September 19.

The students, aged between 13 and 17 spent the day painting different designs onto the koru sculptures.

A koru nearing completion, they will now be glazed for the main event in September. Photo / Craig Brown

The koru shape comes from the Waikato 125 logo which was designed by Emma Church at digital agency PAN.

They were hand-crafted into moulds by artist Richard Lees from Tinderbox in Riverhead, Auckland.

Then the moulds were brought back to Hamilton to Splashy, where Sue and her team poured and prepared them in time for painting.

They were then blessed by kaumātua Tame Pokaia before painting began.

Councillor O'Leary on her Facebook page said she was proud of the students' effort.

"What an amazing day. I was truly blown away by the incredible art the students created on the 125 ceramic koru," Ms O'Leary said.