He Ara Hōu ki te Ao Wairua: a new path for ceative connection

There’s a quiet kind of power in projects that begin with listening. When people are invited to shape the spaces they live, play, and walk through, creativity begins to flow. This comes from the ground up: bold, joyful, and deeply rooted in place.

One of the ways we see this spirit in action is through ChalkWalks - creative, community-led placemaking installations that transform everyday spaces into playful, welcoming pathways. These aren’t off-the-shelf designs dropped into neighbourhoods. They are grown from the ground up, shaped by the ideas, stories, and aspirations of local people.

In Manurewa, a group of wāhine came together to co-design a ChalkWalk inspired by their own lived experience - a joyful expression of mana, aroha, and identity placed directly onto the paths their community walks each day.

Through a creative workshop and a practical installation led by Catalyse’s Creative Lead Tauma Lobacheva, local artists learnt how to design and deliver ChalkWalks that reflect the character and soul of each place. With tools, support, and the right conditions, they’re imagining vibrant futures and bringing them to life.

These ChalkWalks are more than temporary art. They’re a testament to what’s possible when people are invited to dream, design, and deliver projects that reflect their community. They spark play and connection. They offer a sense of belonging. They make visible the invisible stories of place.