Kia Aroha College Logo
The Kia Aroha College logo was designed by Blaine Te Rito, who is the master carver of our Wharenui and the artist responsible for the beautiful window graphics on the campus.
Blaine’s task was to use elements from the original separate logos for Te Whānau o Tupuranga and Clover Park Middle School and to design a new logo that would represent the merger of these two schools into Kia Aroha College.
The tohu/logo features two matau (hooks). These are iconic symbols to all of the peoples of the Pacific. Our ancestors were the greatest ocean travellers who traversed vast areas of the Pacific Ocean discovering new lands and resources. The matau reminds us of the relationship our ancestors had with their marine environment and how it provided us with sustenance. The matau also symbolizes the “fishing” and accumulation of knowledge.
Kia Aroha College is comprised of two distinct ‘strands’ or schools within the college – one Māori (Te Whānau o Tupuranga) and one Pacific (Fanau Pasifika). Each matau contains designs relative to Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands.
FANAU PASIFIKA
The companion hook contains symbols from the Pacific Islands. The upper design is “tai-moana” and relates again to the ocean and Tangaroa, guardian of the Pacific.
The next design is “whiti”, canoe sails which relate to ocean voyaging and navigation. They are followed by three tiki / tangata. Here they represent the establishment of our peoples and celebrate the unique cultures and traditions. The tiki are riding the bow of a canoe which is following three “manu-tai”, migrating birds which were an important element for navigation.
The next section has floral designs which feature prominently in Pacific art. Here they represent land and settlement.
The last design is taken from weaving patterns and is used here to represent the development of the arts.
Kia Aroha College
The matau can be used separately by each strand of the College, or placed together. When they are placed together the curved space between the matau forms the important manawa (heart) line – representing the school name, Kia Aroha, through love and caring.
TE WHĀNAU O TUPURANGA
The upper matau for Te Whānau o Tupuranga contains symbols relating to Māori. The Taaniko design following the head is used here to acknowledge Mana-wahine. It reminds us of the Ha, the breath of life which we inherit through Hine-ahu-one, the first woman. It celebrates the female element in our society.
Following the Taaniko design are four puhoro spirals. These designs symbolize movement and speed. They are used to encourage development and to strive for excellence. Each puhoro is accompanied by koru that represent life and whakapapa.
The original Tupuranga tohu (1986) contained three koru – depicting the child at the centre, the whānau and the school. In 1990 with the growth of the whānau the koru became the three levels in Tupuranga – teina (Year 7), tuakana (Year 8) and pakeke (Years 9 & 10. In 2006 a new logo was designed for the establishment of Te Whānau o Tupuranga as a separate school. A fourth koru was added to this design to represent the older students, the mataamua (Years 11-13). The four koru in the new Kia Aroha College logo acknowledge this history.
The last section of the matau has three whakarare, curved lines symbolizing the past, present and future. This too was a feature of the 2006 Tupuranga logo, represented then by three curved lines.