These are tāniko patterns and they are taken from our old kapa haka uniform. The tipare (headband) girls' bodice and boys' tātua (belt) of the old uniform was made by some of our women whānau approximately twenty-two years ago. These patterns are now on the bottom of the girls' new kapa haka dresses and the boys' tāniko tātua. The flame in the middle of the panel was a part of Shannon School’s old logo. The two crosses on either side of the flame represent Shannon School and
Saint Joseph’s School (which has now been closed) who used to join us for kapa haka. The stars represent all of us and our cultures scattered across Te Ika Mangaroa the Milky Way. Wherever we are in the world we can always see stars. The huia feathers from our now extinct manu (bird) represent: nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora e te iwi. With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive. Everybody has something to offer and by working together we can all flourish.
