Pembroke School pupils use Puanga as inspiration for art

Some of the artwork currently on display in the gallery. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Pembroke School pupils have been creating pieces of art inspired by Puanga.

Rimu class pupils, who are in Years 7 and 8, based their artwork on their own interpretations of the night sky as seen during Puanga.

Lily Single used a silhouette of the mountain under a large 3D Puanga star, made with cardboard and glitter to give it the 'star' effect. During Puanga, Lily says, she enjoys eating kai like hangi, making poi and spending time with friends and family.

Neive Rayner's interpretation of the night sky included a splattered starry sky, with a silhouette of a person looking through a telescope on a hill looking for the Puanga star and other planets. Neive says her family and friends come together over Kai for Puanga.

Neive's interpretation of the night sky included a splattered starry sky Photo / supplied

Pupils in Kowhai and Tawa classes (Year 3 to Year 6) included images of Mt Taranaki in their work, adding their own ideas of what Puanga would look like when looking at the mountain.

Jackson Cavey and Imogen Woller used a mixture of blues and used a paintbrush to spray some white paint to make it look like there were heaps of stars in the sky and some glitter paper to make the Puanga star bigger and brighter. They cut out a silhouette of the mountain and used tissue paper on the mountain to make it look like snow.

The youngest members of the school are in Totara class. which has new entrants and Year 1 and 2 pupils, focused their artwork on what the night sky looked like to them. To do this, they used local silhouettes and landscapes.

Nayana celebrates Puanga by singing songs. Photo / supplied

Aaron Scherrer used a black piece of paper and used dark, light and super light blue and white paint for the stars and a silhouette of the mountain and the Stratford Glockenspiel.

Nayana Morgan said she used white paint to make the stars by tapping the paint brush, blue paint for the sky, and a silhouette of Mt Taranaki. She says she celebrates Puanga by singing songs.

Some of the artwork is currently on display in the Percy Thomson Gallery in Stratford as part of the Puanga - The Māori New Year exhibition.