Kia ora … The familiar traditional greeting in te reo Māori means literally ‘have life, ’ but for many years the walls of the entrance and waiting areas in the Burnside High School Counselling Department were anything but lively. For many years the counsellors dreamed of having a space that would be bright and inviting, reflecting our values and providing a safe space for all members of our school community to be. We just needed to find the right person with the creative vision and talent to bring that dream to life…
At the end of 2022 an email conversation between HOD Counselling Geoff King and Fiona Dwyer, HOD Art, led to a meeting with Bronwyn Menzies, at that time a Year 13 BHS student and winner of the overall senior visual art award. We showed Bronwyn our space, talked in general terms about what we wanted – and were totally blown away when several weeks later she met with our whole team and shared with us her concept plan for what became known as ‘the mural project,’ which she has worked on tirelessly throughout 2023.
The change has been remarkable. Students and staff who have come into our department through the revitalised entrance-way and have sat in our waiting area or shared kai from our kitchen have noticed the difference and many have commented on how welcome, calm and in some cases curious Bronwyn’s original artworks have made them feel.
We consider ourselves incredibly privileged to have on our walls paintings which are both beautiful and bold, and capture the essence of who and how we strive to be as counsellors working at te Kura o Waimairi-iri. Having a former student and member of our school community come and share her creative talent with us has been a wonderful demonstration of the school’s values of manaakitanga, mana and rangatiratanga in action, and we are respectfully grateful and proud of how Bronwyn’s commitment to artistic excellence has transformed our corner of the school.
Nau mai, haere mai, titiro mai – come and see for yourself!
