Boulcott School students tackle tricky land wars subject
Through the first term and a bit of 2024 I have had the pleasure of working with Boulcott School on a large mural project with the students. This project was incredibly unique in that we were investigating and featuring an important historical event in the New Zealand land wars ‘The Boulcott Farm Massacre.’ As you can imagine this is a tricky piece of artwork that involves being incredibly diligent with historical sources of information, sensitivity to all parties involved and helping the students create their own feelings and ideas about what accrued.
The leader of this project was Brigit Scahill (teacher at Boulcott School). She based the project around the following whakataukī.
Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua.
I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.
This whakataukī speaks to the past, present, and future being woven together.
We spent weeks researching the history of the Boulcott area. The students talked to their families about their own family history and what bought them to Boulcott whether it be recent or generations ago. We had a local expert of ‘The Boulcott Farm War’ Tui Lewis visit and share her knowledge. Tui is the Hutt City deputy mayor and is of Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Manu descent, she is currently working on a project to address the accuracy of the war event memorial and acknowledge Māori.
We created a visual timeline of every major event from the prehistoric age to now and narrowed it down to the meaningful parts to the students. This timeline included the students families arrival to the area and stories. We identified a common theme in people coming to New Zealand to live in that they were all searching for a better life for their families.
We then had the tricky job of figuring out what this history means to us today and how it has shaped Boulcott School culture. We managed to tie the schools ‘CHEER’ values to the events.
This is what we came up with.
Today at Boulcott School…
We aspire to be Confident because on the 16th May in 1846 200 Maori bravely marched through the night to Boulcott farm in an attempt to resolve the injustices of land agreements. They had confidence in their rights to the land they are connected to, their home.
We value Honesty because through our ancestors' suffering and conflict during the New Zealand land wars we have learnt to value communication and courageous conversations.
We strive for Excellence because 23 Chinese families who had immigrated to New Zealand for the Gold Rush were resourceful when they didn't strike gold and turned the Hutt Valley into the largest Chinese market gardens in the country to feed our growing population.
We look forward with Enthusiasm because in 1944 the Lower Hutt hospital opened and started caring for the growing communities health needs. The hospital has also provided jobs for many New Zealanders and immigrants.
We have the utmost Respect for our river Te Awa Kairangi which has been the source of water, food and transportation for many generations. We care for it to ensure a fertile future of this land.
In the finished mural you will see a night scene of two figures faces, one representing the Maori the other a British soldier. Under the moonlight they look each other in the eye with sadness and empathy. Behind them a large Totara tree which still stands in the school grounds. Running around them is the Te Awa Kairangi with our two Wellington taniwha Ngake and Whātaitai which were designed by a student. A Chinese market gardener and a signing featuring the whakataukī sit on the left. A historic hospital scene with an airplane out the window sits on the right.
The mural was painted predominantly by the students. Like a large colouring sheet they carefully fulled each section with paint. I then touched up and outlined everything to finish the mural.
This was such a wonderful process and project to be part of. One that I have to pinch myself as I can;’t believe I get to do this as my job!
““AMY LISTENED CLOSELY TO OUR BRIEF AND WAS THOROUGHLY PREPARED AND RESEARCHED. THE MURAL IS ONE WHICH REFLECTS OUR DIVERSE SCHOOL COMMUNITY WHILE ALSO RECOGNISING OUR LOCAL HISTORY. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND AMY TO WORK ON ANY MURAL PROJECT AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE OF HER WORK AT BOULCOTT SCHOOL.”
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