6 minute read
Bringing te ao Māori to life through textiles and technology
When the doors open at Massey University’s design school on Monday 15 September, a unique blend of student creativity, cultural expression and interschool collaboration will take centre stage. Kohara2Shine, now in its third year, celebrates senior secondary students’ work in technology while grounding the event firmly in kaupapa Māori.
For Wellington East Girls’ College teacher and Kohara2Shine lead organiser Nan Walden, the kaupapa of the design exhibition is simple – to create a space for rangatahi to shine.
“For my students to be able to show their stuff off, and have a platform for them to shine, is really important to me,” she says.
Kohara2Shine is for senior students and opens the door to every learning area, says Nan.
“There are competitions in the technology space, but they’re often very narrow and focused just on fashion or digital design.
“We’ve had everything from tensegrity tables to laser cut furniture alongside textiles and fashion outcomes. It’s about creating visibility for students’ mahi that wouldn’t otherwise be seen.”
The exhibition runs for three weeks at Massey’s Wellington campus. “It’s fully open to anyone who would like to come along,” says Nan.
Other participating schools include New Plymouth’s Spotswood College, Wellington Girls’ College, Wellington High School, Tawa College, Scots College, St Matthew’s College, Rathkeale College, Queen Margaret College and Hutt Valley High School.
Building a kaupapa
Coinciding with Te Wiki o te Reo Māori aligns the exhibition perfectly with its kaupapa of celebrating Māori language, culture and creativity.
For participating ākonga, the process is about more than a polished final product. It becomes the context for their learning throughout the year, tying project-based work directly to achievement standards.
Kohara2Shine deeply weaves te ao Māori into its foundations. Nan is deliberate about this, from the korowai that adorn mannequins to the mihi whakatau that opens the event.
“I will do whatever I can to make sure my students, and students from across Aotearoa, are represented and can show a positive, physical representation of te ao Māori.”
Connection through korowai
This commitment to te ao Māori has sparked powerful partnerships, particularly with Spotswood College in Taranaki.
The school’s textiles kaiako Jessie Brodie first met Nan in Wellington while doing professional development.
There, Nan taught Jessie how to make contemporary kahu huruhuru, knowledge she took back to her classroom.
“I’d already taken my students to the local Puke Ariki Museum to study traditional kahu,” says Jessie.
“When I returned, we started creating them ourselves using modern techniques. It was authentic learning straightaway, something they could connect to.
“Nan encouraged me to bring the students’ work to Kohara2Shine, and this year we’ve built that into our course delivery. The kids know they’re working towards showing their pieces in Wellington, and that motivates them hugely.”
Ten Spotswood ākonga have now completed their own korowai, blending traditional inspiration with contemporary design.
Their work will travel to Wellington for the exhibition. There, the students will also stay on noho at Wellington East Girls’ College, joining their hosts in preparing the space and co-leading the mihi whakatau.
For Jessie, the value lies not only in the final product but in the cultural grounding it provides.
“We’re trying to do things differently for our kids to achieve success as Māori, to be strong in their kaupapa.
“We are creating programmes that give Māori tauira the platform to achieve success as Māori. Our approach empowers them to stand proud in their identity and to be confident in who they are. It is a holistic journey of learning, rooted in authentic mātauranga Māori.”
A collaboration of kapa haka and textiles
Spotswood College’s involvement extends beyond textiles. The school runs a Te Ao Haka programme, where students spend a day each week immersed in kapa haka.
By combining the kapa haka programme with textiles, students designed and wore their own kahu huruhuru for performance, strengthening the connection between creative design and cultural practice.
“We had our Puanga celebration at school, with hangi, kai and kapa haka, and the students wore their cloaks there,” says Jessie.
“Now, with Kohara2Shine, they know they’re going to Pōneke, they get to go to a design school, to Wellington East and they’re super excited.”
A growing whānau of schools
While the Spotswood and Wellington East partnership remains central, Kohara2Shine has blossomed into a wider whānau of schools. Wellington College, Tawa College, Wellington Girls’ College and Wellington High School are among those contributing projects this year.
For Nan, this collaborative spirit is crucial.
“Last year Jessie and I connected through TENZ (Technology and Education New Zealand), and the relationships have just grown from there. It’s about giving teachers the courage and support to embed mātauranga Māori in their technology classrooms.”
Jessie is clear the relationship won’t stop here.
“In the future we’d love to host Wellington East here in Taranaki, to welcome them onto our marae and strengthen the connections. With Te Ātiawa links, that would be a really meaningful exchange.”
Bigger than an exhibition
Both kaiako emphasise the kaupapa is bigger than an exhibition. It’s about equity, identity and the future of rangatahi Māori in education.
Spotswood College aims to lift university entrance rates for Māori students by embedding achievement standards in meaningful, culturally grounded contexts.
At Wellington East, it’s about creating visible, positive representations of te ao Māori in the education system.
And for rangatahi themselves the teachers say it’s about pride in their mahi, pride in their identity, and pride in standing shoulder to shoulder with peers from across the motu.
For now, the focus is on preparing for September: korowai being finished, kapa haka items polished, and students from both schools counting down.
The exhibition opens at 4pm on Monday 15 September at Massey University’s design school in Wellington. Entry is free, and the public are warmly invited to experience the students’ mahi.
Kupu | Vocabulary
Korowai: Cloak
Kahu huruhuru: Feathered cloak
Mihi whakatau: Formal welcome speech
Noho: Stay, overnight stay
Tauira: Students, learners (often used in tertiary settings)
Pōneke: Wellington
Motu: Country, land
Mahi: Work
