Lori said it was a special moment when the cloak was draped around her shoulders.
"I felt extremely honoured to be wearing the kākahu, let alone [being] the first."
The garment was beautiful, she said.
"From afar it looks powerful and up closer you can see the beautiful details, describing the school and its community.
"Wearing it made me feel strong and confident . . . you can feel, as well as see the respect woven within."
During the assembly attended by the whole school and board of trustee representatives the kākahu was welcomed with haka and waiata then blessed by kapa haka tutor Nathan Wairau. Mrs Wilson said it was a "privilege" to be asked to make the ka¯kahu. The college provided her with details she incorporated into the design. "I wanted it to be authentically the school’s. Every kākahu I make is individual."
The māwhitiwhiti pattern up the centre was a repeated whale’s tail design which formed a cable, it represented the Oreti River that flows through Lumsden and it acknowledged the whaling trade that attracted many of the region’s ancestors before they settled here.
The tāniko brick pattern in red/black and blue/ green stands for the school houses as well as the building blocks (poro kapiti) of education (mātauranga) which help students build strong foundations for their futures.
Between these are small tubes of harakeke (flax), dried and dyed black that rattle when the kākahu moves giving the wearer presence.
The poutama (steps) show levels of learning and achievement. The colours reflected the school uniform.
"This kākahu has been created to give mana (prestige) tūhononga (connection) and whakaute (respect) to those who wear it," Mrs Wilson said. It took more than 100 hours to make the cloak. While she did not attend the school, her children and grandchildren did, she said.
She wrote an explanation of the different elements of the kākahu which would be displayed alongside it.
School principal Pete Wilkinson said it was wonderful to embrace and celebrate te ao Māori. "We love that this kākahu, so lovingly weaved for Northern Southland College by Helen, represents our school with features such as our house maunga Eyre, Hokonui, Lintley and Takitimu, as well as the Oreti river, our local awa."
The next time it will be worn will be by the 2025 school dux at the end of year school prizegiving.
The kākahu will be displayed in the school office foyer.
