The mural was a Keep Dunedin Beautiful (KDB) project, which aimed to upgrade the existing cats mural under the Pine Hill Rd overpass — designed and painted by Otago Girls’ High School students in 1989 — with a bigger and brighter design.
At Sunday’s celebration, KDB chairwoman Cr Mandy Mayhem described how the new design came about through a schools competition for a fresh design featuring the Māori name for Dunedin — Ōtepoti.
Project manager Bruce Mahalski had worked with children from seven north Dunedin schools to create the new design, which incorporated the original cats, she said.
Each school submitted designs for one letter of the word Ōtepoti, mural artist Koryu Aoshima having the difficult job of selecting the winning designs and painting the mural.
"And no-one else could have done justice to this, or so seamlessly blended old and new, with his own fabulous birds in addition,’’ Cr Mayhem said.
The winning designers were: For the "O’’ — Frost Bas and Chelsea Seeley (George St School); for the "T’’ — Mila Hinch, Scarlett Lane and Daniel Morgan (Opoho School); for the "E’’ — Jiachun (An Xin) Chang and Hannah Dewdney (Liberton School); for the "P’’ — Esenge Pointe (Dunedin North Intermediate); for the "O’’ — Freedie Fraser, Beth Marslin and Sylvia Brook (Sacred Heart School); for the "T’’ — Shahed Alibrahem and Isabella Duder (Pine Hill School); and for the "I’’ — Jae Lafaele (North East Valley School).
The winners received a certificate, a badge and family passes to Orokonui Ecosanctuary, presented by Dunedin deputy mayor Cherry Lucas at the unveiling.
Cr Mayhem thanked all of the children for their enthusiasm for the project, the KDB committee members for their support, Mr Mahalski for his "tireless efforts’’ to bring the project to fruition and KDB co-ordinator Kelsey Porter for her work.
Cr Mayhem also announced the mural would be dedicated to the memory of upoko David Tohurangi Ellison, with the blessing of his whanau.
Mr Ellison, a former teacher, had been involved in the mural process every step of the way and was excited to see the children’s designs.
Cr Mayhem said a plaque was planned for the site.
