This school holidays offers the chance for Western Bay of Plenty residents to view a first-of-its-kind exhibition – promoting hope – at Tauranga Library.

‘Tūmanako: Through the Lens of Hope' photographic exhibition opened at the library on October 1 with a reminder of the power of hope from the children who took photographs for the exhibition.

Tūmanako was created in 2015 when Wellington City Council approached SGINZ – a Buddhist organisation that promotes peace through individual transformation and contribution to society – to create an event to remember Hiroshima Day.

Tūmanako has grown to be held across Aotearoa as an annual event where tamariki and rangatahi create works of art to share their aspirations for a peaceful, inclusive and nuclear-free world.

The first time Tūmanako being held in the Western BOP, local children from participating schools were tasked with submitting photos of something that gave them hope and an explanation of why their photo makes them feel hope – for the exhibition.

Due to the pandemic, the committee for Tūmanako decided this region's exhibition should focus on ‘Hope' due to the significant impact on young people's mental health and wellbeing in the WBOP and the main medium would be photography.

Golden Sands School's Lyndsey Whettingsteel says the exhibition is an opportunity for young people to think about, create and share their photographic images of hope with the community.

'The aim of Tūmanako is to support our community to feel hope and connection during these uncertain times, and that rangatahi and tamariki realise how much their lives can inspire others in time of need.”

Students from Pahoia School, Katikati College, Papamoa Primary School, Papamoa College, Golden Sands School, Matahui School, Wairakei Inspired Kindergarten, Te Akau Ki, Omokoroa Point School, Brookfield Kindergarten, Tauranga Girls' College and ACG Tauranga submitted photos.

Matahui School student Mahe Turnwald's took a photo of hot air balloon 'because I thought about how hope rises inside of me”. 'The flame that keeps the hot air balloon going up into the air is like Hope. Hope is like a flame inside my heart. Sometimes it is big and sometimes it is small. When I determine to believe in myself and others my hope comes back.”

Mahe says being part of Tūmanako has reminded him 'that hope is all around me and inside of me”. 'I hope that Tūmanako inspires many children and youth that there are lots and lots of ways to find hope.”

Matahui School student Mahe Turnwald sharing his experience of being part of the exhibition, with Anton Turnwald of Katikati College. Photo: Supplied.

The exhibition opening was MC'd by Katikati College head boy Anton Turnwald and student Leo Uemura from Papamoa Primary School and opened with a heart-warming performance from the Golden Sands' Kapa Haka Group to an audience of exhibition participants, parents, families, public and invited guests.

Gray Southon, president of United Nations in Tauranga, says he is truly impressed with the exhibition. 'There's been a lot of hard work in the background for Tūmanako to get it up to the standard it is.”

Golden Sands school deputy principal Carol Ballinger says the exhibition is a beautiful way 'of bringing families together and sharing these amazing photos the children have taken of ‘hope'”.

The school's kapa haka leader Whaea Diane says she's inspired by 'the mahi and different interpretations, meanings and journeys of what other people regardless of who they were, where they originate from and their understanding of ‘hope'”.

Matahui School principal Mary Woods feels proud that every child at Matahui primary school has participated in Tūmanako. 'We will definitely participate next year.”

A Tauranga City Council librarian staff member says the watching the exhibition 'has given us all so much hope …it is so inspiring, positive and wonderful to have Tūmanako in the library”.

Parents at the opening also expressed how touched they were by the exhibition and the experience it had given their children. 'Our hearts were bursting with joy!”

A stakeholder of the project, Dr Daisaku Ikeda, says: 'As long as one has hope, there is nothing one cannot achieve; everything is born from hope”.

The exhibition is on display at Tauranga Library until Saturday, October 15.