Original art: Flying the flag in Flaxmere

Children at all five schools in Flaxmere have been beavering away on designs for new flags for Flaxmere Park.

Students at the five schools: Peterhead, Flaxmere Primary, Irongate, Flaxmere College and Kimi Ora Community School, have all-but completed their designs, after which the schools will select those that will be made into flags and Hastings District Council will have them made up to fit the park’s flag track system.

Each of the schools is running a competition, choosing 10 from their students’ work to be hung from the flagpoles. That will make 50 flags for 25 poles, with Council planning to change them over time as the sun and wind wear them out.

The theme for the flags is ‘What makes Flaxmere special’.

For Blaze Petuha, 12, the best things about Flaxmere are the plants and trees, and Te Aranga Marae, where he likes to spend time. For Maikara Nicholson, 11, it is about the history and culture of Paharakeke. Her flag design includes references Ngāti Kahungunu’s arrival on the waka Tākitimu, the story of Māui slowing the sun, and her school, Kimi Ora Community School.

Kimi Ora Community School principal Matt O’Dowda said all 130 of the school’s students had worked on designs.

“It’s a great project that helps Flaxmere’s students think about what is special about the place where we live, and it lets them put a real stamp on their park which develops a real sense of community,” he said.

The current flags were designed by students from all of the schools in 2012.

The new flags will go up early this month.