Latest news with #SamoaLanguageWeek
Otago Daily Times
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
School collaborates to produce artwork
Musselburgh School pupils and artist Ana Teofilo celebrate the unveiling of the school's collective artwork at an assembly yesterday. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN The talents of the entire Musselburgh School have been combined for a new artwork. The piece, which is yet to be named, will be on display in the school assembly hall. It was completed in collaboration with artist Ana Teofilo, who helped bring all the different themes together. She said it took about a week to put together, after a one-day brainstorming session with pupils. "It's amazing just knowing that all the kids took part in it, and we were able to just put it in one big piece where they can celebrate it and feel proud." Each pupil drew something that was somehow inspired by Samoan Language Week. "There were a lot of connections through weaving. There were Samoan flags. Some drew cats because they have a personal, you know, connection to little cats. There were also a lot of florals." Seeing the pupils develop their work was also inspiring, she said. "So we had all the senior classes first, and then we had the juniors come through. So you could see the tightness of their drawings to the looseness of the younger ones, which is really cool." She had not put together a collaborative artwork before. "This would be my first piece where we've all collaborated in one piece. "Usually, I would do workshops where each individual creates a piece, and we would put it together. So, this was something special in one single piece. "I'd absolutely love to do something like this again if there's another opportunity for it." Principal Robin Taylor said they were delighted to invite Ms Teofilo to the school as part of their recognition of Samoa Language Week. "Ana had beautifully prepared the piece for collaboration with all of the students who were present on the day. "Each student created their own design, around a significance to them, to build up the background — Ana then took the piece and completed the design, which replicates our new school logo with a Pasifika flavour. "Our home and school association raised funds to enable Ana to spend time with us. We are extremely proud of this new and beautiful piece of work, which will be displayed in the school hall so all our school ākonga, whānau and manuhiri can view it."
NZ Herald
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Rotorua hosts Bay of Plenty Regional Pacific Arts Fono 2025
Pacific creatives will gather in Rotorua this weekend for the city's first arts fono. The inaugural Bay of Plenty Regional Pacific Arts Fono 2025 to be held tomorrow at Te Puia marks the final day of Samoa Language Week. Hosted by the Rotorua Pacific Islands Development Charitable Trust, the
Scoop
05-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Kilikiti Bats Bring Ara Campuses Together For Samoa Language Week
Press Release – Ara Institute of Canterbury Ltd The event is the vision of Aras Te Whatu Ora funded Pacific lead in Mental Health and Wellbeing, Greg Galovale, who wanted to involve trades students in a community project with a fitness focus. Samoan kilikiti pate (cricket bats) specially hand crafted and decorated by students will be at the centre of Gagana Samoa (Samoa Language Week) celebrations at Ara Institute of Canterbury. In a first for Ara, a tournament will take place bringing together teams from across the institute to play the Pacific nation's favourite sport. The event is the vision of Ara's Te Whatu Ora funded Pacific lead in Mental Health and Wellbeing, Greg Galovale, who wanted to involve trades students in a community project with a fitness focus. 'I was seeking to promote joinery in the Pacific space but also health, wellbeing and community,' Golavale said. 'Our Level 3 Pre-Trade joinery tutors Tim and Jody saw the prototype and got right behind the idea. The end result is fantastic!' he said. Kilikiti bats were also made, decorated and gifted to key community groups who participated in Moana Health workshops to launch Gagana Samoa on campus. The event followed the 2025 theme 'Ia malu lou sā. Folau i lagimā – a well-grounded self is a successful self.' The Wednesday kilikiti tournament will see teams from Ara's Woolston, City and Manawa (nursing) campuses line up alongside a team made up of the joinery students who crafted the bats. Joinery student Theresa Desouza said it had been a rewarding project and she was looking forward to the event. 'I've lived in a lot of different countries, so I grew up very multiculturally. This opportunity to engage in another culture and build community has been beautiful,' Desouza said. Student Advisor Pacific (Fautua ma So'oupu) Rev. Fitifiti Luatua visited the Woolston campus to share insights and first-hand experience of the game with the class. Fergus Gaughan said he'd enjoyed learning about the history of kilkiti and the stories behind the bat design. 'This project has also brought me back to why I started getting interested in woodworking. I enjoy working with raw timbers and shaping them. Being able to take something unrecognisable and turning it into art resonates with me,' he said. Joinery tutor Tim Melker said incorporating the project into coursework had been straightforward as the skills involved in making the three-sided bat were similar to aspects of furniture making. 'Our learners started with a square block. We used a jig and other machinery to cut off the bulk and then hand tools to fine tune it,' he said. 'But the standout aspect has been the cultural awareness we've gained through learning about the sport, having Rev share insights into the design of the bats and his experiences of playing in Samoa.' Tutor Jody Pehrson added the class had created a legacy item through the project and the energy in the workshop told its own story. 'The proof is in the engagement. Everyone has been focused on creating a bat worthy of the sport and now they want to go and play the game. We've all learned a lot,' he said. Once the bats left the hands of the trades learners, they were decorated and embellished by a team led by third-year Bachelor of Design (Applied Visual Art) student Lydia Iosefo. 'I do a lot of stencil work in my study, so this drew on that with some traditional patterning,' Iosefo said. 'As a bonus, this will count towards my professional practice hours which tests our ability to work with clients and deliver projects on deadline.' Golavale said he was pleased the project had resonated with all those involved and he was looking forward to the inaugural kilikiti tournament – rain or shine. 'If the weather doesn't play ball we'll head to the Whareora. We'll be ready for some fun and expect plenty of banter,' he said.
Scoop
05-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Kilikiti Bats Bring Ara Campuses Together For Samoa Language Week
Press Release – Ara Institute of Canterbury Ltd The event is the vision of Aras Te Whatu Ora funded Pacific lead in Mental Health and Wellbeing, Greg Galovale, who wanted to involve trades students in a community project with a fitness focus. Samoan kilikiti pate (cricket bats) specially hand crafted and decorated by students will be at the centre of Gagana Samoa (Samoa Language Week) celebrations at Ara Institute of Canterbury. In a first for Ara, a tournament will take place bringing together teams from across the institute to play the Pacific nation's favourite sport. The event is the vision of Ara's Te Whatu Ora funded Pacific lead in Mental Health and Wellbeing, Greg Galovale, who wanted to involve trades students in a community project with a fitness focus. 'I was seeking to promote joinery in the Pacific space but also health, wellbeing and community,' Golavale said. 'Our Level 3 Pre-Trade joinery tutors Tim and Jody saw the prototype and got right behind the idea. The end result is fantastic!' he said. Kilikiti bats were also made, decorated and gifted to key community groups who participated in Moana Health workshops to launch Gagana Samoa on campus. The event followed the 2025 theme 'Ia malu lou sā. Folau i lagimā – a well-grounded self is a successful self.' The Wednesday kilikiti tournament will see teams from Ara's Woolston, City and Manawa (nursing) campuses line up alongside a team made up of the joinery students who crafted the bats. Joinery student Theresa Desouza said it had been a rewarding project and she was looking forward to the event. 'I've lived in a lot of different countries, so I grew up very multiculturally. This opportunity to engage in another culture and build community has been beautiful,' Desouza said. Student Advisor Pacific (Fautua ma So'oupu) Rev. Fitifiti Luatua visited the Woolston campus to share insights and first-hand experience of the game with the class. Fergus Gaughan said he'd enjoyed learning about the history of kilkiti and the stories behind the bat design. 'This project has also brought me back to why I started getting interested in woodworking. I enjoy working with raw timbers and shaping them. Being able to take something unrecognisable and turning it into art resonates with me,' he said. Joinery tutor Tim Melker said incorporating the project into coursework had been straightforward as the skills involved in making the three-sided bat were similar to aspects of furniture making. 'Our learners started with a square block. We used a jig and other machinery to cut off the bulk and then hand tools to fine tune it,' he said. 'But the standout aspect has been the cultural awareness we've gained through learning about the sport, having Rev share insights into the design of the bats and his experiences of playing in Samoa.' Tutor Jody Pehrson added the class had created a legacy item through the project and the energy in the workshop told its own story. 'The proof is in the engagement. Everyone has been focused on creating a bat worthy of the sport and now they want to go and play the game. We've all learned a lot,' he said. Once the bats left the hands of the trades learners, they were decorated and embellished by a team led by third-year Bachelor of Design (Applied Visual Art) student Lydia Iosefo. 'I do a lot of stencil work in my study, so this drew on that with some traditional patterning,' Iosefo said. 'As a bonus, this will count towards my professional practice hours which tests our ability to work with clients and deliver projects on deadline.' Golavale said he was pleased the project had resonated with all those involved and he was looking forward to the inaugural kilikiti tournament – rain or shine. 'If the weather doesn't play ball we'll head to the Whareora. We'll be ready for some fun and expect plenty of banter,' he said.
Scoop
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Kilikiti Bats Bring Ara Campuses Together For Samoa Language Week
Samoan kilikiti pate (cricket bats) specially hand crafted and decorated by students will be at the centre of Gagana Samoa (Samoa Language Week) celebrations at Ara Institute of Canterbury. In a first for Ara, a tournament will take place bringing together teams from across the institute to play the Pacific nation's favourite sport. The event is the vision of Ara's Te Whatu Ora funded Pacific lead in Mental Health and Wellbeing, Greg Galovale, who wanted to involve trades students in a community project with a fitness focus. "I was seeking to promote joinery in the Pacific space but also health, wellbeing and community," Golavale said. "Our Level 3 Pre-Trade joinery tutors Tim and Jody saw the prototype and got right behind the idea. The end result is fantastic!" he said. Kilikiti bats were also made, decorated and gifted to key community groups who participated in Moana Health workshops to launch Gagana Samoa on campus. The event followed the 2025 theme 'Ia malu lou sā. Folau i lagimā - a well-grounded self is a successful self.' The Wednesday kilikiti tournament will see teams from Ara's Woolston, City and Manawa (nursing) campuses line up alongside a team made up of the joinery students who crafted the bats. Joinery student Theresa Desouza said it had been a rewarding project and she was looking forward to the event. "I've lived in a lot of different countries, so I grew up very multiculturally. This opportunity to engage in another culture and build community has been beautiful," Desouza said. Student Advisor Pacific (Fautua ma So'oupu) Rev. Fitifiti Luatua visited the Woolston campus to share insights and first-hand experience of the game with the class. Fergus Gaughan said he'd enjoyed learning about the history of kilkiti and the stories behind the bat design. "This project has also brought me back to why I started getting interested in woodworking. I enjoy working with raw timbers and shaping them. Being able to take something unrecognisable and turning it into art resonates with me," he said. Joinery tutor Tim Melker said incorporating the project into coursework had been straightforward as the skills involved in making the three-sided bat were similar to aspects of furniture making. "Our learners started with a square block. We used a jig and other machinery to cut off the bulk and then hand tools to fine tune it," he said. "But the standout aspect has been the cultural awareness we've gained through learning about the sport, having Rev share insights into the design of the bats and his experiences of playing in Samoa." Tutor Jody Pehrson added the class had created a legacy item through the project and the energy in the workshop told its own story. "The proof is in the engagement. Everyone has been focused on creating a bat worthy of the sport and now they want to go and play the game. We've all learned a lot," he said. Once the bats left the hands of the trades learners, they were decorated and embellished by a team led by third-year Bachelor of Design (Applied Visual Art) student Lydia Iosefo. "I do a lot of stencil work in my study, so this drew on that with some traditional patterning," Iosefo said. "As a bonus, this will count towards my professional practice hours which tests our ability to work with clients and deliver projects on deadline." Golavale said he was pleased the project had resonated with all those involved and he was looking forward to the inaugural kilikiti tournament - rain or shine. "If the weather doesn't play ball we'll head to the Whareora. We'll be ready for some fun and expect plenty of banter," he said.
