Waikato Educators
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Date1994DescriptionWaikato Educators is a stained glass piece created in 1994 by longtime University of Waikato educator Donn Ratana. He was approached by the Dean at the time to create a work for the entrance of TC block. This stained glass window artwork was the result; learning alongside stained glass experts, Ratana developed nine windows.
The Teachers College began in 1960 in temporary buildings at what is now Melville High School. The foundation class of trainees had just 170 students—122 were women and 48 were men. Today, 75% of New Zealand teachers are women. The school relocated to the University campus in 1964, but only amalgamated with the University in 1991, becoming the School of Education. Alongside a cow shed and A Block, the Teachers College was one of the first buildings on campus. It is now the Faculty of Education and is the largest faculty on campus.
Taking inspiration from the educators in his own life—his kuia and mother—Ratana pays homage to female educators and students. The rolling collection of shapes replicates the concept of kowhaiwhai, a flowing, endless pattern. Warm hues join to form figures dancing across the windows. These colours reference Hineahuone, the first woman shaped by Tāne out of red clay at Kurawaka.
The colours flow through the figures as each reaches out to the next. This connection is intentional—the orange, red, and yellow hues are representative of the Waikato River, and more specifically the whakataukī:
Waikato-taniwha-rau
He piko, he taniwha
He piko, he taniwha.
Waikato of a hundred taniwha,
At every bend a taniwha can be found.
The taniwha are metaphoric of the chiefs of Waikato and express the mana and strength of the Waikato people.
Flipping across the panels, the figures also visually express the diversity of students who come through the faculty. While stained glass is often associated with churches and rigid institutional imagery, Ratana chose to depict more fluid and expressive forms, reflecting his own painting style.
Waikato Educators is a powerful homage to women and their roles as educators, both in formal institutions and within communities throughout history. By shaping their forms as the bends of the river, Ratana elevates women to a status of chiefly reverence and power.
Ko te wahine he whare tangata, he waka tangata – Within the female is the nurturing home of humankind and the channel from the spiritual to the physical.
CreatorDonn Ratana
The Teachers College began in 1960 in temporary buildings at what is now Melville High School. The foundation class of trainees had just 170 students—122 were women and 48 were men. Today, 75% of New Zealand teachers are women. The school relocated to the University campus in 1964, but only amalgamated with the University in 1991, becoming the School of Education. Alongside a cow shed and A Block, the Teachers College was one of the first buildings on campus. It is now the Faculty of Education and is the largest faculty on campus.
Taking inspiration from the educators in his own life—his kuia and mother—Ratana pays homage to female educators and students. The rolling collection of shapes replicates the concept of kowhaiwhai, a flowing, endless pattern. Warm hues join to form figures dancing across the windows. These colours reference Hineahuone, the first woman shaped by Tāne out of red clay at Kurawaka.
The colours flow through the figures as each reaches out to the next. This connection is intentional—the orange, red, and yellow hues are representative of the Waikato River, and more specifically the whakataukī:
Waikato-taniwha-rau
He piko, he taniwha
He piko, he taniwha.
Waikato of a hundred taniwha,
At every bend a taniwha can be found.
The taniwha are metaphoric of the chiefs of Waikato and express the mana and strength of the Waikato people.
Flipping across the panels, the figures also visually express the diversity of students who come through the faculty. While stained glass is often associated with churches and rigid institutional imagery, Ratana chose to depict more fluid and expressive forms, reflecting his own painting style.
Waikato Educators is a powerful homage to women and their roles as educators, both in formal institutions and within communities throughout history. By shaping their forms as the bends of the river, Ratana elevates women to a status of chiefly reverence and power.
Ko te wahine he whare tangata, he waka tangata – Within the female is the nurturing home of humankind and the channel from the spiritual to the physical.
CreatorDonn Ratana
Description
InterviewerJoe Harawira - NarratorOriginal SourceWaikato Educators
Location
Latitude/Longitude[1]
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Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our taonga and resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted or referred to within.CopyrightUniversity of Waikato
Relates To
PersonDonn Ratana Other ItemsUniversity of Waikato Sculpture Trail
Donn Ratana, Waikato Educators (1994). University of Waikato, accessed 15/12/2025, https://onehera.waikato.ac.nz/nodes/view/10604