1 August 2011
He Mohiotanga – ‘Sharing of Knowledge’
‘’All great ideas begin on a rough piece of paper’’, says WelTec’s Bachelor of Creative Technologies tutor, Darren Ward;
no matter what your skill level, the old pencil to paper always works.
Cyberport IncuTrain Centre and Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) is jointly providing Hong Kong's first
Creative Technologies Workshop at Cyberport.
Part of the workshop is to replicate a similar three meter sculpture reflecting Hong Kong’s own culture and design. The
original replica was prepared by Darren Ward, Barry Te Whatu and Gareth McGhie before sending it off to Hong Kong as an
example for students and was blessed with the name ‘Tane o Awakairangi’, the progenitor of mankind and a spiritual deity
specifically from WelTec.
The sculpture or ‘Pou’ was produced in two parts to accommodate ease of transport. Pou means ‘standing upright’ in a
Marae Wharenui in Maori culture. Tane o Awakairangi retrieved the three baskets of knowledge that carried the life
principle of humankind to come forth into the dawn and into the world of light. Due to size and materials, WelTec put a
spin on it by utilizing one basket to capture all knowledge.
The workshop, ‘He Mohiotanga – Sharing of Knowledge’, which is a two week course will present a challenge for Hong Kong
students to replicate the Pou through a process of sculptural design with digital projections and interactive
participation through the reproduction of 2D and 3D animation, digital graphics, web, and human interface computing that
provides motion sensor technology that allows its viewers to experience the sharing of knowledge.
Mr Teriu Lemon, Head of School for Creative Technologies said, “This is a very exciting project that builds academic,
cultural and spiritual awareness through the sharing of skills and knowledge between two countries. The project will
provide an important and positive experience for staff and students and a pathway to deepen our awareness of culture,
creativity and innovation.”
The sculpture which was shipped ahead will welcome the arrival of WelTec tutors, Darren Ward, Gareth McGhie, Mathews
Manipadom and Teriu Lemon who will tutor Hong Kong students at the workshop from 8-19 August 2011.
Linda Sissons, CEO of WelTec and Brian Cao, International Marketing Manager (China) held a joint press conference in
Hong Kong with Dr David Chung, Cyberport’s Chief Technology Officer. ‘’The sense of expectancy at Cyberport as they were
awaiting the arrival first of Tana o Awakairangi and then of our staff was tangible’’, said Linda. ‘’Hong Kong students
and our colleagues have a huge admiration for Wellington’s film industry and are excited that through this intensive
workshop they will begin to gain skills in the realm of production and story-making.’’
Wellington’s Mayor Ceha Wade-Brown has also just visited Cyberport and took with her the greetings of Wellington’s City
and WelTec.
‘’We are building strong ties with Cyberport in this most creative and exciting pilot’’, said Linda.
ENDS