Waka
Designed by Hannah Wilkinson
(Football Ferns) in consultation
with athletes and the HPSNZ
team.
The mural represents the many cultures
that make up our diverse population,
pulling together as one nation, Aotearoa
New Zealand.
The powerful arm symbolises our athletes
representing New Zealand with the fern
running through their veins.
The paddle and waka represent the pulling
together of all cultures moving as one
together, one team, one nation.
To the right of the waka the Maori and
Polynesian panels acknowledge our Maori
and Pasifika heritage. To the Left of the
waka, the Celtic panels acknowledge our
European ancestry.
Together, as a whole, we are moving on a
journey, inspiring our nation through who
we are as people and representatives
of our proud sporting nation, Aotearoa
New Zealand.
This was painted by Auckland based
artist Jonny4Higher.
Mountain
Designed by Hannah Wilkinson (Football
Ferns) in consultation with athletes and the
HPSNZ team.
This mural signifies the immense value we place on becoming great New Zealand representatives in our chosen sports, and that this value is shared among the diverse strands of New Zealand’s identity, including our Maori, Polynesian and European ancestries.
The Polynesian designs acknowledge our Polynesian ancestry while the Celtic designs acknowledge our European heritage.
The Koru acknowledge our Maori ancestry, and represent unfurled ferns, a place where we all started in our respective journeys as New Zealand athletes, something we must keep close to our hearts. It also represents our growth into athletes representing the fern. ‘Kia whakatomuri te haere whakamua’ – ‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.’ What we do as New Zealand representatives is cherish our past and carry on the legacy, doing our country proud moving forward, just like many before us have done.
The fern is the symbol that represents our national sporting hopes and dreams. It is a symbol of our land, our people, and of the New Zealand team. It ties all of us together as one very special sporting nation.
The mountain represents the treasure: the greatness that our kiwi athletes strive for and achieve on the world stage. ‘Whaia te iti, kahurangi. Ki te tuohu koe. Me he maunga teitei’ – ‘Seek the treasure you value most dearly. If you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.’
This was painted by Auckland based artist Jonny4Higher.
