Families gathered at Te Ao Mārama Tauranga City Libraries on Saturday, September 24, 2024, for the opening ceremony of Tūmanako, an exhibition promoting peace and creativity.

The ceremony began with a heartwarming mihi from the Golden Sands Kapa Haka group.

"It was awesome. It was really cool to see a different form of art, like photos. That gives a chance for a child to see things differently from various media resources," Golden Sands School principal Melanie Taylor, said.

Tūmanako, which means "hope", originated in 2015 when the Wellington City Council collaborated with  SGINZ, a Buddhist organisation, to create an event commemorating Hiroshima Day.

**The master of ceremonies were Melinka Hartley (12), Matilda Davis (13) from Matahui School and Katikati College Deputy Head boy Theo Turnwald (18).

"Every year is always amazing! This year has been a bit of a step up, particularly with the presentations," Principal Mary Wood said.

"It was another dimension for this celebration. This activity also aligns with our school values of being kind."

The vision behind Tūmanako is to empower tamariki and rangatahi to express their hopes and aspirations for a peaceful world, encouraging reflection on current events.

The event concluded with a karakia and a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony with Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer and Tauranga City Councillor Rod Taylor. Photo / supplied 

The theme Kotahi te kākano whakaaro, he nui ngā hua o te rākau houhou rongo (one seed of thought grows the forest of peace) inspired over 100 artworks from 15 schools across Tauranga, Papamoa, and Katikati.

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer highlighted the importance of nurturing children and promoting peace at the Tūmanako Exhibition.

"I loved the artwork, too, expressing what the children like to see in the world and what they do not. It was great to see it today, " he said.

 "Showing animals, nature, and all other things which bring them peace like music was really great to see it today" he said.

 Tauranga City Councillor Rod Taylor said it was beautiful to see tamariki wanting to promote a peaceful path to the future.

"Bringing the schools to make their art public; otherwise, the public will not be able to access it," Taylor said.