School's artwork scoops prize and set to appear on library cards

Brookfield School pupils (clockwise from left) Caley Angell, 6, Brooke Doherty, 7, Ripo Matau, 6, teacher Kirsty Schulze, Rasela Childs, 9, Lincoln Pearson, 9, and Hemorere Heke-Ririnui, 9, celebrate the mural's success in the Battle of Gate Pa/Te Ranga art competition. Photo/John Borren

A mural by the pupils of Brookfield School will be the new face of Tauranga's library cards.

The school's artwork took out first prize in the mural division of the Battle of Gate Pa/Te Ranga Art Competition.

Teacher Kirsty Schulze designed most of the mural with input from other teachers, the pupils and members of the community.

She began the work in the last week of February and it took about a month-and-a-half of lunchtimes and snippets of class time to finish.

"I enjoy art and doing art with the kids, so decided to enter the competition. I wanted the kids to be a part of it, creating a piece of artwork that could be put in the school permanently."

Miss Schulze said Brookfield wanted its pupils to be aware of the history of Tauranga and Gate Pa was a significant battle that took place in the city.

"A lot of the kids in our school had ancestors who fought in the battle." The outline of the mural was drawn by Miss Schulze and a small group of pupils painted the image. Miss Schulze then added in the finer details.

Hemorere Heke-Ririnui, 9, said she painted the mountains in the background of the pa.

She said she had learned about the battle in class.

Ripo Matau, 9, painted some of the trees, much of the background and the letters. She said she went with her class to look at the paintings in the exhibition at St George's Church and had been for a walk around the site to learn what happened.

Almost 50 works of art created by schools and members of the public were submitted for the competition.