Gisborne celebrates local hero
Gisborne welcomes Farmlands’ HeART of the Community project and Mr G.
Farmlands Gisborne was given more than just a splash of colour recently, as Mr G worked his magic on the fourth HeART of the Community mural.
The inspiration for the artwork came from staff at Farmlands Gisborne, who are immensely proud of their community and what makes it special. The mural includes the Tolaga Bay wharf, Rere Falls and an amazing portrait of Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, the first M ori recipient of a Victoria Cross.
Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa, affectionately known as Mo, was born at his family farm at Whareponga in 1918. He attended Whareponga and Hiruharama School, before finishing with 2 years at Te Aute in Hawke’s Bay. Mo returned to work on the Whareponga farm for 4 years and also played rugby union for the Hikurangi team and participated in the Hikurangi Parish Choir.
At age 21, he went to fight in World War II as a member of the 28th Maori Battalion. He was killed in 1943 while valiantly defending a position they had captured from German forces in Tunisia. He received the Victoria Cross posthumously in 1943.
Mo’s legacy continues in the form of a scholarship to promote M ori education – and even though he is buried at Sfax in Tunisia, his memory lives on in the community.
Mr G says painting Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa was a “humbling” experience for him. “It has been a huge honour for me to be permitted and entrusted by the family to paint the portrait in honour of him and the entire Maori Battalion.”
Farmlands is proud to be able to keep the memory of this important past alive for future generations and highlight the unique identities of New Zealand’s rural communities as part of the HeART of the Community project.
There are 11 more Farmlands stores in line to receive a Mr G makeover – you can follow Mr G and the HeART of the Community project on the Farmlands Facebook page, Instagram or at www.heartofthecommunity.co.nz
Paying tribute to Putaruru
Farmlands Putaruru is now the third Farmlands store to receive a locally-inspired mural painted by Kiwi artist Mr G, as he makes his way around the country to showcase the unique identities of New Zealand’s rural communities – part of Farmlands’ HeART of the Community project.
The team at Farmlands Putaruru wanted the mural to pay tribute to the town’s sawmilling history, the beautiful Waihou River (also known as Blue Spring) and of course the ruru (morepork), New Zealand’s only surviving native owl, from which the town’s name is derived.
With Paeroa and Invercargill already complete, Mr G says he was excited to capture the spirit of Putaruru in his artwork.
“It has been so enlightening to visit smaller cities and towns where people really wear their hearts on their sleeve,” he says.
“It gives me an immense sense of pride to bring attention to the people in our hard-working towns that contribute so much to New Zealand economically and socially.”
South Waikato District Council Mayor, Jenny Shattock says it has been both refreshing and inspiring to see a prominent artist promoting the great town of Putaruru.
“The Putaruru community are some of the most passionate and loyal people,” she says.
“Many people drive through the town without realising what a great place it truly is. Putaruru is a well serviced, centrally located town with outstanding community pride making it a great place to live and work.”
COMMUNITY PRIDE MOVES SOUTH
Invercargill welcomes Farmlands’ HeART of the Community project and Mr G.
Paeroa was first. Now Invercargill’s Farmlands store has the second of 15 locally inspired murals by Kiwi artist Mr G, created as part of his biggest project to date.
At the launch event on Saturday 10th June, excited locals and members of the Munro family got their first glimpse of the massive 7m x 10m mural featuring Burt Munro of “the world’s fastest Indian” fame. The mural theme was chosen by the Farmlands Invercargill team, who wanted to pay tribute to the local legend.
According to Invercargill City Mayor Tim Shadbolt, Burt’s portrait is the perfect embodiment of Invercargill’s “pioneering and determined spirit”. The portrait is also situated in prime position along the current circuit of the Burt Munro Challenge.
Working from his home in Invercargill, Burt spent 20 years highly modifying his 1920 Indian motorcycle to satisfy his love of speed. He set his first New Zealand speed record in 1938 and went on to set three world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the USA, one of which still stands. This August will mark the 50 year anniversary of this unbeaten record.
Mr G says he was very excited about undertaking the project’s first South Island mural. “I consider it an honour to be able to create an iconic mural in such a beautiful and unique part of Aotearoa. Painting Burt has been an honour and a privilege.”
The pride of Paeroa.
Can art help create a sense of local identity and pride? If the social media comments from Paeroa residents following the unveiling of Mr G’s first HeART of the Community mural in May are anything to go by, the answer is a resounding yes.
“Thank you so much for the beautiful gift you have given our little town!” says one. “Thank you for making such a personal, stunning gift to our lovely local town of Paeroa,” says another.
Even Hauraki district mayor, John Tregidga, recognised the enormous impact the Farmlands HeART of the Community project has had on the community. “They say a picture paints a thousand words and this painting says many things about the Paeroa community, including how proud we are of where we’ve come from and where we’re headed in the future.”
The announcement that Paeroa would be the first of 15 Farmlands stores nationwide to be painted by world-renowned Kiwi artist Graham Hoete (known as Mr G) was greeted with great enthusiasm and anticipation by Farmlands Paeroa store staff, as well as the wider Hauraki district community. That enthusiasm grew as the 2nd May start date drew closer and it continued throughout the week as Mr G created his large masterpiece.
Despite having just 5 days to complete the mural, he still found time to greet, chat and take selfies with all of the people who dropped by to see him in action, including local kindergartens, schools and loads of residents. He even delivered an inspirational talk to six local offenders selected by the Department of Corrections. His message to them was simple: “I think everything good takes hard work. I sketch or paint every day to become a better artist. If you want something you have to work for it.”
This inaugural HeART of the Community project also piqued the interest of local and national media, securing a sought-after slot on TVNZ 1’s Seven Sharp.
So where did the inspiration come from for this first stunning HeART of the Community mural?
It was the staff at Farmlands Paeroa who, when asked what was at the heart of their town, mentioned the large horse teams and their fully loaded wagons that historically were a common sight in Paeroa. According to a local historian, “… they were the only transport to connect the junction wharf to the gold fields, 80 teams of horses worked from Paeroa to Karangahake, Waikino and Waihi”.
The history of the area struck a real chord with Mr G. “If I am to travel up and down the country and do murals like this”, he says, “I’ve got to know what I’m painting about, which is great. I love the history of all these locations.” Combining the horses with the locally recognised ridgeline (the Maori word Paeroa means “long ridge” in English) has created a unique story.
It seems seeing their town’s history immortalised in paint struck a real chord with the Paeroa community. It felt like the whole town turned out for the grand unveiling of the mural on Saturday 6th May, as well as visitors from as far afield as Christchurch and Motiti Island in Tauranga (Mr G’s birthplace). After speeches, a moving performance by the Paeroa College kapa haka group and a drone selfie of everyone in front of the mural, Mr G set about signing everything from gumboots (a very popular choice) to walkers! It seems art really can bring a community together. “It is awesome that I get to provide a bit of happiness and pride by doing what I love most – making art,” Mr Gsays. “I’m looking forward to moving on to the next HeART of the Community location at Farmlands Invercargill.”