September 24, 2012
Students challenges to carve Wairoa pou
Rivalry between Wairoa College and Gisborne Boys’ High School turned to co-operation in a bid to complete carvings for the Wairoa College’s meeting house, Te Aka Matua.
Six teams of four, each including two students from each school, were set the task for carving six pou for the house in a continuous 24-hour challenge.
Wairoa College art teacher Trevor Galvan says it was left to the students to consult with elders, research and design the pou, which represent ancestors from each of the hapu in the district.
Wairoa has just picked up the whakairo programme used at the Gisborne school for the past decade.