Te Matauru Primary – New School Branding
By Craig Burton
January 15, 2020Te Matauru Primary is a brand new school being built in Rangiora on the outskirts of Christchurch. It is the first major new school build in the region for the last 30 years with a completion date set for 2020. I was asked by the Foundation Principal, Danny Nicholls, if I would create a new logo and brand identity for them. They had just been gifted their new Māori name and wanted to create a logo that captured the essence of what this meant.
Te Matauru Primary Logo
The name gifted to the school means “The Eye to the West”. Mata = face/eye; Uru = west; Mata is also short for “Taumata” = summit/ top of hill/resting place. The logo symbol represents an eye. The top of the eye, in green, represents a mountain (Mount Grey / Maukatere). The blue represents water, the source of life, (the Ashley River/Rakahuri) that flows in the area. At the centre is a west facing koru. Just as the pupil in an eye allows light to enter, the koru represents the ‘light of learning and growth’ as the basis of everything at Te Mataura Primary.
The mountain and water are connected in a cyclic way. This alludes to the interdependent relationship between the various stakeholders - staff, students, community, local businesses as well as the ongoing nature of the school in developing MANY generations of life long learners.
Mockups were made for how the new logo might look on their school uniform and new buildings. A Logo Usage Guide was created to help protect the look of the logo along with some branded stationery to use for their communications.
Logo Usage Guide and Business Card
Te Matauru Primary School Uniform
Te Matauru Primary Building Signage
Te Matauru Primary
Te Matauru Primary Building Signage (close)
Te Matauru Primary Wayfinding Sign
Te Matauru Primary Ethos Design
Te Matauru Primary
Te Matauru Primary Window Manifestation
Te Matauru Primary Building Logos
The buildings are named after well known mountains and rivers in the region. The logos are very similar stylistically but slightly different in appearance with unique stories attached to each. They appear as manifestations on the main doors to each block.
The Hall is called "Te Tiritiri" which is short for “Te Tiritiri o te Moana” which stands for the Southern Alps. According to the stories of creation handed down, Māui was approaching the South Island from the west. His crew saw the Southern Alps and told him that there was land in sight. He looked and saw the snowy peaks—something he'd never seen before—and said, "That isn't land, it's a mirage of the sea – he tiritiri o te moana." Te Tiritiri o te Moana is the Māori name of the Southern Alps.
The Technology Block is called "Maukatere" This represents Mount Grey which the local Ngāi Tahu hapū of Ngāi Tūāhuriri strongly identify with. There are stunning views from the top overlooking Kā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha (the Canterbury Plains).
The Junior Block is "Ōpuke" which stands for Mount Hutt. Huirapa and Ōpuke are the traditional Māori names for Mount Hutt, which rises to the west of Kā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha (the Canterbury Plains), above the braided upper reaches of the Rakaia River. Along with the nearby mountains, forests, lakes, and wetlands.
The Senior Block is called "Ōkūkū". Ōkūkū is a river in North Canterbury that flows south from several sources near the eastern edge of the Puketeraki Range, before entering the Rakahuri (Ashley River). It is also widely used as the name of the range from which the river emerges (The Ōkūkū range).
The Administration Block is called "Korowai" which is a representation of the Torlesse mountain range. A korowai is a traditional cloak which embraces and warms the wearer, much as the admin area shows manaakitanga and looks after those that visit.
Interested in more new school build or rebuild examples? Follow the link HERE to the "New Builds / Rebuilds" page on my website. I will be updating that page with new examples, and links to case studies, as they come to hand.
Need a new look for your brand new school?
I'd love to help. Contact me if you would like to know more about getting a fresh new brand look for your school.
