Te Hononga by New Zealand artists MIKE TUPAEA, ISAIAH RAMEKA
@isaiahmatthewrameka, WALTER DEWES, POLLY SADLER AUTAHI HOOK, TAIHARURU ROSS, and BAILEY MUNRO at 37 John Street, Whangārei, New Zealand in 2019 with
@wheku_design,
@te.kapehu.whetu, and
https://spacelamp.nz. Photos taken February 2025. Thanks to
@streetartcities app for leading me to Whangārei.
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"'Te Hononga' means connections, relationships or bonds. These are vital: for maintaining balance and empowering individuals and whanau through life's journey.
The tree in the centre of the mural symbolises whakapapa (family tree).
Whakapapa can be seen to mean 'to bring about grounding" to provide a solid base'. It serves as an acknowledgement and a reminder of our lineage and our heritage, that our chain of whanau, of blood and of birth has remained unbroken from the beginning.
There are four birds depicted in the mural. The first bird is the ruru/morepork.
In Mãori mythology, ruru are considered to be wise, acting as kaitiaki or guardians and have the power to protect, warn and advise. Above the ruru is the banner 'Aroaro meaning in the presence of.
The second set of birds are the huia, male and female. The male is painted blue with the shorter beak and the female is painted red with the longer beak. The birds are painted different colours to highlight how we can come together with our unique differences. The banner that flies over the huia bird reads 'aroha' which means love."
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text by Mike Tupaea (See rest in last image.)
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Artist website:
https://whekudesign.com
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#aerosol #Aotearoa #collab #colorful #community #globalstreetart #graffitimural #insearchofstreetart #jj_urbanart #maori #mural #muralart #mythology #Mãori #newzealand #newzealandartist #publicart #sprayart #streetart #streetart_daily #streetartist #streetartphotography #studentart #urbanart #wallart #whangarei
Mike Franks
EshaHaber
AllQuakes - EMSC
