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We're proud of our place, Te Ara Ātea
Te Ara Ātea was a collaborative project from the start, with Selwyn District Council working alongside mana whenua from Te Taumutu Rūnanga. Cultural stories are carefully blended throughout its public spaces, collections, and exhibitions in a way that was a first for Selwyn. The concepts of manaakitaka, kaitiakitaka, kōkiritaka and whanaukataka are now embedded here, informing how the Arts, Culture, and Lifelong Learning Team interact within Te Ara Ātea and the community, creating a cultural shift. As a result, Te Ara Ātea has had a profound intergenerational impact on the wellbeing of the community both inside and outside its walls. This was recognised in 2022 when Creative New Zealand awarded Te Ara Ātea its Excellence Award for Cultural Wellbeing at the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Excellence Awards.
Image: Corban Te Aika, Kaumātua Denise Sheat, Te Taumutu Rūnanga Chairperson Liz Brown and Mayor Sam Broughton at the Whakatuwhera (official opening) of Te Ara Ātea in December 2021. Photographed by Heather Milne.
The Local Government New Zealand Excellence Award for Cultural Wellbeing, 2022. Collection of Selwyn District Council. Photographed by Michelle Sim.
Te Taumutu Rūnanga gifted the name, Te Ara Ātea, to the community. Te Ara Ātea means unobstructed trail to the world and beyond. The name expresses a notion that this is a place for learning, gathering, connecting, exploring and celebrating the District’s heritage and people.
Te Ara Ātea is like a mahika kai, a resource-full place – a stopover on the path of lifelong learning.
Read more about Te Ara Ātea at Kā Kōrero o Waikirikiri Selwyn Stories, our digital heritage access point – selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz
Te Ara Ātea won the Excellence Award for Cultural Wellbeing in 2022 at the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Excellence Awards. Sponsored by Creative New Zealand, the award recognised the vibrant way that the centre supports arts, culture and life-long learning in the Selwyn District, celebrating identity and creating joy and connection. This video was prepared to support the entry application.
Creative New Zealand EXCELLENCE Award for Cultural Wellbeing: Selwyn District Council (youtube.com)
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