Our Level 1 Art, Photography, and Design students traded their desks for the rugged slopes of Mangere Mountain (Te Pane-o-Mataoho) to begin a journey of visual storytelling.
The day began at the Mangere Mountain Education Centre where student Lesieli Manuopangai delivered a moving mihi on behalf of the class. It was a proud moment that grounded our students in the importance of the land they were about to explore and the iwi who have called it home for generations.
As the class began their hikoi (trek) up the maunga, the mountain became a living classroom with the group pausing at significant sites to discuss:
- Traditional Māori life: How the terraces and pits were used for gardening and defence.
- Cultural Practices: The deep spiritual and physical connection the local iwi maintained with the volcanic landscape.
Armed with cameras and sketchbooks, the students captured observational sketches and photographs, focusing on the textures of the scoria, the silhouettes of the craters, and the way light hits the native flora.
All the work gathered on this trip feeds directly into their current Internal Assessment. The project is guided by the powerful whakataukī: “Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua.” (As people come and go, the land remains.)
The final result will be a Zine—a handmade, self-published magazine, as a visual record of their investigation. It’s a chance for them to blend photography, graphic design, and traditional sketching into one cohesive narrative.
