Celebrating the completion of a major restoration project on carvings surrounding the Ashburton College whare (from left) college staff members Andrew Young, Charlie Kelland, Mike Pearce, Jono Hay, principal Ross Preece, Damian Peeti in charge of the carving restoration, Tipene Phillip and Michelle Brett, chair of the Hakatere Marae committee. Photo supplied.For more than 20 years impressive carvings have guarded the entrance to the Ashburton College whare wananga.

Those carvings were created by master carver Vince Leonard and were installed in 1997, but in February last year, showing signs of wear and weathering, they were removed for what would prove to be a year-long restoration project.

Approval for the restoration, paid for from the school’s maintenance fund, was given several months earlier, but college principal Ross Preece said it was important they remained in place for the school’s powhiri at the start of the 2019 school year.

After more than 20 years of weathering the carvings were very much in need of work, but their restoration has taken longer than anticipated, because of Leonard’s death part way through the project.

Fellow carver Damian Peeti, who had worked with Leonard on the original carvings, was able to step in and continue the work with the help of a team of college students.

Removing the 12 carved pieces was a monumental job, Preece said, with the larger pieces requiring a team of 20 to move them into the whare where the restoration would take place.

Each time those pieces were turned, teams of lifters were needed.

On Friday those involved in the project were able to see the results of many months of hard work as the carvings were reinstalled at the whare entrance ready for the start of the new school year and a powhiri on Wednesday.

“It’s been a huge job and they look magnificent,” Preece said.

The tapu was lifted from the carvings at dawn on Friday.

Ashburton College made history for South Island schools when the whare was built and the carvings placed.

With funding for a rebuild of the 50 plus year old college approved, the carvings would be retained and become an important part of the ‘new’ school, Preece said.

“The idea is now they’ve been restored, when the master plan is considered we have permission to relocate the whare to the front of the school.”

That the college was able to break new ground for a South Island school and establish a whare, complete with carvings was down to the efforts of principal at the time, Digby Prosser, Preece said.

“He fought very hard with the ministry over this and it wasn’t a cheap exercise.”

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 3 February 2020