The winners of the senior category of Re:ACTIVATE Aspiring Artists 2021 were Agatha Weston and Sienna Oshannessey, aged 16 from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School.

Their artwork is titled Remembering Our Roots and is designed as the framework of a waka. It reflects on the importance of the history of the Ōtākaro (Avon) river as a source of mahinga kai, a traditional food source. The way the water would have touched the waka, is a reminder of the continuous flow of life and the many different paths the river has historically taken. The waka would have passed through these lands, intrinsically connected to mana whenua. The artwork represents the roots of the artists’ whakapapa, which they want to remember and keep celebrating through this artwork.