Talking Poles are treasured taonga tuku iho
"It has been a privilege and an honour to have played a part in creating taonga that represent the heart of the community," said chairperson of the Trust Mariata Couch. "I want to acknowledge the efforts of the current Trust members, some who have been here from the beginning and past Trust members who have moved on. Your dedication to developing our treasured poles has been unwavering. And look at what has resulted - 46 beautiful poles that tell our beautiful stories."
The two most recent poles are Nga Hau e Wha, the tile pole and the ANZAC pole created to mark the Centenary. Both poles are situated at the South Waikato Sport and Events Centre. Nga Hau e Wha has pride of place, overlooking the oval and consists of 495 tiles individually hand-painted by members of our community.
The decision to move the management of the Talking Poles in-house was made in consultation with the Trust members during Council's long term planning process. Council intends to leverage its goal of 'improving our image' through further development and promotion of the Talking Poles brand, ensure one to two poles are developed each year continually growing the pole landscape, ensuring promotion is enhanced through Hamilton Waikato Tourism, develop training opportunities and support some additional commercial opportunities around the poles.
The Tokoroa Talking Pole concept was first suggested by landscape designer Colleen Priest as part of the Tokoroa CBD upgrade in the 1990s. At a public meeting in 1997, around 40 members of the public showed extremely positive support for the idea of a collection of sculptured poles representing Tokoroa's many different cultures, clubs and organisations for the concept. The Inaugural Pole Art of the World Symposium was held in March 2004.
The majority of the Talking Poles are situated in and around the Tokoroa CBD area. The sculptures have helped to build pride in the town. Over the years local businesses have contributed funds and in-kind support.
"Council looks forward to our continued great relationship with the Trust members as we collaborate with them on the Leith Place Development Project and future pole development," continued Mayor Sinclair. "Other people interested in becoming a Friend of the Talking Poles are welcome to contact Council too."
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