Kindy gets a waka to be proud of

The children at Kerikeri Kindergarten have something most others don't, thanks to the work of one of their teachers.

Sheryl Hughes won a $5000 Kauri Award Scholarship from the Northland Kindergarten Association recently, to promote tikanga Maori in kindergartens, and has used the money to explore the traditions, symbols and meanings behind traditional Maori carving by having a hand-carved waka made for the kindergarten.

The totara waka was crafted by Oromahoe carver Renata Tane. A carver for six years, a one-time student at Te Puia New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua and a Kerikeri Kindergarten 'old boy,' Mr Tane said he had carved a waka tete, a general-purpose waka or fishing vessel, now known as Te Waka o Mana Ko.

Although the waka had a generic form he had wanted to make sure it had a strong Northland influence. The head is a wheku, of pre-European design, while the tail (taurapa) has a breaching whale, influenced by documentaries Mr Tane was watching at the time. The head and tail are decorated with Northland designs (unaunahi).

"The head is quite a generic form of carving," Mr Tane said. "I know of lots of tribes that are using it. I was given a book, Rata and the Tree, by the children at Kerikeri Kindergarten which had a picture of that head in it, so the head of their waka is based on that."

He had also taken care to ensure that the waka would stand the test of time.

"It needed to be safe for the kids to play on and strong so that it could withstand kids climbing, jumping and standing on it - you know, what kids do," he said.

"I want it to be there for generations so that it is still there when my grandchildren go to kindergarten. But it is there to be played with, there for children to have adventures in."

Mrs Hughes said she chosen to commission Te Waka o Mana Ko because of the rich traditions associated with waka.

The children had been able to watch as the tree was blessed and felled, hollowed out and carved.

The year-long scholarship, she added, would enable her to organise trips to show the children other carvings and teach them about the local history.