Two new murals are helping to raise awareness about the fight against kauri dieback.
Lead artist Kyro Carlyle, 16, of Glen Eden created the two aerosol on plywood murals that are now on display at Arataki Visitor Centre.
Kyro is part of the Kākano Youth Arts Collective based at Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson.
“One of the murals contains the words ‘toitū he kauri’, which means keep kauri standing”, he says.
“The other says ‘keep kauri standing for generations to come’. This message is very important for me to get across. As a young person, I don’t want to see kauri wiped out in my lifetime. We need to do all we can to protect kauri.”
The murals were funded by the Wāitakere Ranges Local Board as part of their annual Kauri Karnival event. The murals were mainly created at this year’s event on 22 April.
Wāitakere Ranges Local Board Chair Greg Presland says, “Our board recognised the great work a lot young people are doing out west, especially the young people at Kākano Youth Arts Collective. We wanted to provide an opportunity for them to contribute to the fight against kauri dieback.”
“Kyro in particular has created an outstanding piece of art that is helping to raise awareness of this issue among a new generation.”
Kākano Youth Arts Collective project manager and youth mentor Jermaine Reihana says, “The project has been a great initiative to generate a conversation with our local young people.”
“As Kyro was creating the murals during the Kauri Karnival, so many young people were coming up and talking about kauri dieback and why it's important to preserve these precious taonga.”
