Timo Rannali is helping kids at Tauranga Primary School create a mural depicting their school and local community. It will be installed on an external classroom wall in September.

Teacher Ann-Marie Morris says it's an overwhelming act of generosity on Timo's part. 'He came in, did some planning with the senior students, the principal, and me,” she says. 'Then we talked with the children about how they wanted to represent Tauranga Primary School in a mural.

'The kids talked about what they thought was most important to our school, then Timo took their ideas away and drafted an outline for the mural.

'The children are currently painting the design. They have added their own flare and creative ideas throughout the painting stage.”

The school values community and parent involvement, and a team of parents and volunteers have generously invested their time to help supervise the work. Timo visits every two days to oversee the project.

'He is also teaching the children directly as the need arises,” adds Ann-Marie. 'For example, he'll give a tutorial on skin tone, or on techniques to paint buildings.”

There are approximately 150 kids involved in the creation of the main panels, and all of the children in the school will have an opportunity to paint one part of the project.

The whole creative process of thinking of a concept, drafting it up and painting it, to bring an artwork to life, has been a great learning initiative for the children.

'They've learned how to work collaboratively to create something beautiful that will last 50 years,” adds Ann-Marie. 'It will be enjoyed by all of the Tauranga community.”

Tauranga City Council have contributed to the costs of the project via the Creative Communities Funding Scheme, and the school is very grateful for their support.

As with any large-scale project, a few leaders have emerged. People like Emmanuel Chambers – a passionate football player who ensured his favourite sport found a prominent place on the mural. Lachlan Leen is doing a time-lapse recording on his iPad to capture the entire process, while keen artists Eunsol Park and Aidan Plummer have tackled a lot of the fine detail painting.

Timo Rannali has been painting full-time for 20 years – but scratch at the surface and you'll find the school teacher underneath.

'It's a neat way for me to give back,” says Timo. 'A big influence on my art today was teaching art to kids – it helped to develop my style. So, I often go back to schools to talk to kids, or help them with projects like this one.”

Timo says what he likes about the Tauranga Primary School mural is it's not just one small group of kids. 'It involves the entire school. Every child in the school plays a part in painting the mural – even if it's just one brushstroke.”

The mural will take around two months to finish, and they're around half-way through. Once completed, there will be an official unveiling ceremony.