Our students are resilient individuals with a strong cultural and whānau identity who are valued and contributing members of our community.
Whāia te mātauranga, hei oranga mō koutou.
The mind is empowered by learning, never stop, as there is an endless amount of knowledge out there.
Featherston is the southern gateway to the Wairarapa. The first European settlement was known as Burlings, named after Henry Burling, who bought land at Paetūmokai an established Māori settlement. In 1856 the area of Paetūmokai was surveyed by the government for a town which was named Featherston after Isaac Featherston.
The name Paetūmokai can be found in stories from both Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu. We have included them both as many of our student’s whakapapa to both iwi. These are shortened versions to give you an idea of the pūrākau behind the name.
Kupe was a legendary wayfarer who traces back to Hawaiki. On his travels chasing the wheke Muturangi he named many places along the coast from Rangiwhakoma (Castlepoint) down to Te Moana o Raukawa (The Cook Strait). One of these places was Paetūmokai o Tauira.
Paetūmokai o Tauira
On his quest to kill Muturangi, Kupe pulled into rest at Pahaoa, he upturned his canoes and left them to dry, Ngā Waka o Kupe, the hills east of Martinborough, and set his sail out to dry at Mātakitaki a Kupe (Cape Palliser). Kupe had a pet dog, Tauira who he left here to look out over his people until his return.
Paetūmokai
In the past Māori chiefs had mokai or pets. In this area more often than not these were birds which were sent out to attract other birds into the traps (pae) that hunters had set for them. One day a chief from the area sent his mokai out to do the job but it never returned to its owner. The chief went looking for his mokai and found him dead in one of the traps hence Paetūmokai.
Our new logo reflects the dynamic, vibrant and diverse qualities of our school, including our tamariki, kaiako, and our wider Featherston School whānau.
In the logo a strong arrow points forward, showing that we are determined and focused on learning, growing and developing together. The logo is made of many lines of different colours and orientations showing the diversity of our school community. The weaving of these lines represents raranga the ancient art of weaving fibres together to tell a story of the past that will help us move into the future. It represents our school whānau moving forward together as one in unity and togetherness.
He waka eke noa
A canoe we are all in with no exception. We are all on this ride together.
The logo is made up of eight coloured triangular sections. Each section embodies and represents something about who we are and where we are, our identity and our place.
Haunui - a - Nanaia
Popoto and his wife Nanaia had a son called Haunui - a - nanaia who was an ancestor of the Te Ati Hau a Paparangi people in the Whanganui region. Haunui is well known for naming many places down the West Coast of the North Island as he pursued his wife who had run off with a slave. Once he had caught them and taken his revenge he travelled home via the East Coast and continued to name the places he came across. Some of these are significant to our area and help us tell the story of our logo.
Green - Kākāriki
As Haunui started off towards home he climbed a high mountain and on reaching the top he sat down to rest. There he thought about what he had done. He named the mountain Remutaka, ‘to sit down’.
The green in our logo represents the whenua, the land around us and the bush clad hills that provide a prominent backdrop to Featherston. The whenua provides us with all that we need to sustain our lives and is a good gauge of how healthy the land is. If the land is healthy, so are we!
Blue - Kikorangi
As Haunui sat there he looked down into the valley and the reflection off a lake caught his eyes and made them water. It was this incident that led to the name – Wairarapa. It was not so much the glistening water but the reflection that made his eyes water. The full saying is found in a number of old waiata, ‘ka rarapa nga kanohi ko Wairarapa’ – his eyes sparkled hence Wairarapa. It is our duty to be kaitiaki of Wairarapa Moana and help bring it back to its original healthy state where our native flora and fauna flourish. In years gone by this has sustained many people and with aroha will once again in the future.
Light Blue - Kahurangi
After resting a while Haunui stood up and saw Rangitūmau (Meaning holding up the sky) to the North. Haunui started his journey North and at the first river he found a whare made of Nīkau leaves. He named this river Tauwharenīkau - the house made of Nīkau. He continued his travels north to his home naming many other places as he travelled.
The waterways are the lifeblood of our land. Like our bloodstream and organs the water filters and flushes waste from our land. The health of our waterways is closely linked the health of our land. We need to take care of both for our future generations.
Yellow - Kōwhai
In summer the yellow flowers of the kowhai trees are dominant in our valley. It is thought that the first flowering of the kowhai warned of the last big flood of the season. Rosie and Cheryl sat in my office and looked out at the Kowhai tree and saw seven tui sitting and feeding. Our native birds come to feast in our trees at different times during the year.
Purple - Waiporoporo
Purple represents whakapono and wairuatanga or our spirituality. It is the way we as individuals seek and express meaning and purpose. It is how we connect to oneself, to others, to nature and our sacred beliefs. (well-being)
Red - Whero
Red represent our past and all the knowledge and lessons taught to us that we bring with us to move into the future. In Te Ao Māori red is Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother, she is the sustainer of all living things.
Red is often associated with strength, power and determination. These are all qualities a resilient person has and we would like to see in our students as they move forward into the world.
White represents our future. We take what we have learned from the past and use it to move into the future. It encourages innovation, creativity and resilience in all areas of our learning. White represents the light - Te Ao Mārama - that was created when Papatūānuku was separated from Ranginui. It encourages us to celebrate our world and live in harmony with each other.
When we look at the blue, black and white together we see the traditional colours of Featherston. All sports team representing our fabulous town play in these colours.
Red, white and black are the colours of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag of Aotearoa. The meaning of this flag is often misunderstood as it is seen as representative of protest rather than the true sovereignty Maori seek over their taonga. It depicts the story of the separation of Rangi and Papa and the creation of Te Ao Mārama - the light. We can see these colours as representing how essential it is that we work together in unity to move into a positive future for us all in Aotearoa.
This is the story we have created to explain the meaning behind our logo. However, as we look at the logo it will represent something different to us all, and that is okay and how it should be. It will tell its own story as we move into the future and will definitely make us stand out in the crowd.
We would like to thank all those who have shared their thoughts and contributed to this amazing taonga. We would especially like to thank Rosie and Cheryl for all the work they have put in and for producing a logo that represents us so well.
Me mahi tahi tātau mō te oranga o te katoa!
We should work together for the wellbeing of everyone!
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