Last month, the school won first place in the national Resene Mural Masterpieces Competition in the primary school section for their mural based on the Kāi Tahu version of the Māori creation story.
Teacher Helen Carter said the mural had been dedicated to Rua McCallum, who originally taught the pupils the story two years ago.
"Rua McCallum inspired and encouraged our tamariki in all aspects of Te Reo Māori ... this artwork is dedicated to her memory."
Ms Carter said the pupils were very proud and very excited about their win.
Pupil Tia Crossan said the panels were based on the story of love and loss between Papatūānuku (the land), Takaroa (the sea) and Rakinui (the sky).
"We used green for the plants that cover Papatūānuku, red for the clay of the earth and for Rakinui we used blues and blacks to duplicate the sky and stars.
"Papatūānuku and Takaroa were in love, and Takaroa would always go and bury the placenta after they had a baby, but one time he took ages to come back," Tia said.
In the creation story, Takaroa and Rakinui had a fight over Papatūānuku, which wounded Rakinui "in the buttocks" which led to the earth and sky becoming the parents of "many sick Tānes," who became known as the Family of Weakness.
Rakinui, who lay upon Papatūānuku, eventually asked his sons to lift him so he was above their mother and the sun could shine down on them, Tia said.
She said they had painted this scene in the mural through the different panels.
"Rakinui did a farewell to Papatūānuku and said ‘I shall cry on you every year,’ and that’s the mists that come to Karitane every summer. That’s what we painted in one of the panels."
Saskia Godbee said the win meant a lot to her and the other pupils, as the prize was a $1000 voucher to spend on paints at Resene.
"We need some more art supplies, more paint, and lots of different colours ... we’re already planning to do another mural soon," she said.
