We are honoured to have five panels of the Lalaga Mural installed in our library.

We recently had a very special blessing of Lalaga Mural panels which were gifted to us from the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre and members of the Pasifika community.

The mural was created last year and was part of the Lalaga La Hui Fono exhibition at the Govett Brewster Art Gallery, with NPGHS Pasifika students contributing in their roles as Lalaga Youth Ambassadors . The mural has now been split into parts with panels going to schools where the artists have a connection.

Selekā (an artist group from Tonga) including Tevita Latu, Yasmin Aho and Taniela Petelō, worked alongside local artists Haoro Hond and Sean Hall. Through collaboration and talanoa in Tonga, they created many uniquie manulua pyramids to form the Lalaga mural. The Youth Ambassadors were honoured to be involved in choosing the pieces that we now proudly display in the NPGHS library. This is especially meaningful as more than half of the Lalaga Youth Ambassadors are students from NPGHS.

The designs communicate strong ideas of cultural identity. They reflect the significance of the history of Parihaka, its importance to Taranaki and the positive inspiration it gave to the wider Pacific about resilience and the importance of keeping culture strong. Both Selekā and our local artists expressed these shared ideas and histories through their art.

The installation of this part of the Lalaga mural is more than the addition of artwork to our library. It is a symbol of identity, connection and belonging for Pasifika youth. We hope that it will continue to speak to future generations and will be part of learning for students.

Our thanks to the gallery for the photos.