by Logan Dinning
Thursday, May 9, 2019
On Wednesday the 17th of April, Zeal and Ward Lane Print Co. hosted and ran an afternoon Screen Printing workshop for 38 local Maori and Pacific Island youth. The workshop was set up as part of an Innovation and Business programme called “Te Ara Moemoea”. The programme; designed and organised by Te Ahurei a Rangatahi with the support of Waikato-Tainui, was created to provide an education pathway for vulnerable Maori and Pacific Island alternate to mainstream education.
It’s a truly motivational moment when you finish a workshop and are thanked with a powerful 40 person Haka performance, and an honorary title of Matua. I was truly speechless as I stared down into the eyes of some the Waikato’s most brightest and creative young people, as the words left their mouths and their hands struck their chests I was filled with a warmth and wholeness I have not experienced before. The respect I received from these rangatahi was overwhelming and immense, and I can’t wait to get an opportunity to journey alongside more curious young creatives and innovators like them again.
The workshop was set up as a collaboration between Te Ahurei a Rangatahi and Ward Lane Print Co. as a means to teach vulnerable young people about the screen printing industry and it’s practices, how to effectively brand a business or enterprise, and how branding and printing has been used across the fashion industry to create local New Zealand brands and businesses. The responses we had to our workshop and the talks I had with young people was outstanding, several of the young people involved came to ask if there was anyway they could intern or work with me in the future. Real motivating mahi!
Can’t wait to get out there and reach more rangatahi like this again!
