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Puawānanga is the clematis. Before it can flower, it shoots its tendrils from the forest floor through the bush canopy to reach the light above the trees. Puawānanga encapsulates human endeavours to strive for knowledge and education, a journey through life. Each level of the forest climbed represents a new horizon. Beyond the forest is a bigger world.
The flower at the heart of this design symbolises the staff and students of Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao. The people are the stylised petals working together for the mutual benefit of the puawānanga. The tāniko borders are the stamen, which hold the promise for the future generations and new developments.
The green circle represents the bush, which supports, but through which the vine must struggle to flower in the light. So appropriately the circle is also the all-encompassing, Te Ao.
The spiral figures behind are Ranginui and Papatūānuku representing the civilization from which Māori have evolved their intellectual and educational philosophies and knowledge.
The tokotoko represents the culture that binds us as a people. By knowing who we are and where we have come from, we can acquire new knowledge with confidence to add to the accumulated wisdom of the people since time immemorial.
This new wisdom is represented by the koru spiralling out in the inner core.
