STAFF and shoppers at The Warehouse Te Kūiti were treated to a kapa haka performance by the students of Centennial Park School. PHOTO: SIGRID CHRISTIANSEN
“THANK YOU” was Centennial Park School’s message to The Warehouse Te Kūiti, and to the KidsCan charity, after receiving a generous gift of stationery.
Retiring teacher Hera Vesseur was also included in the gratitude.
The kura’s grand gesture – this past Thursday – comprised a half-hour kapa haka performance in The Warehouse store’s entrance. Whaea Hera accompanied the students on guitar.
A crowd of around 50 shoppers, school parents and staff gathered to watch.
Principal Kevin Ikin explained:
“The kaupapa is all about thanking The Warehouse Group and KidsCan for their contribution. They provided stationery items to the value of about four thousand dollars at the beginning of the year.
“We really appreciate what you do for our community,” he said.
“Our way of saying thank you was not just a letter. It was a letter plus a performance, to create a point of difference.
“I think sometimes a letter touches the wrong people. It only goes to one person, whereas this way it will actually be our community that’s going to benefit.”
Students Amaia Tapu and Stella Pari felt “good and excited” to be part of the performance.
Stella joked that her mum “definitely hadn’t had to drag her out of bed” when she woke up that morning.
Amaia said she felt excited and nervous.
Stella said “Mōkau Tamaki” was her favourite item, while Amaia liked “Te Murau.”
The latter is an important song for Centennial Park school.
“It’s kind of like our pātere … the story of our whenua, our belonging, our identity,” Stella said.
The third recipient of the day’s gratitude, Whaea Hera, has been a long-serving member of the kura staff.
Kevin said the school was “really grateful and thankful” for her service, which began in 1992.
“There’s no doubt about it. The loyalty, the commitment, the dedication: all those things. You couldn’t ask for more from a teacher.
“It wasn’t just her alone. It was a partnership with her and Matua Paul, they did everything together.
“Paul used to do all our finances and everything like that, so there’s a real commitment. This is a nice way of saying thank you, because they deserve that.”
Kevin said Hera was presented with a fitting gift, provided by Waitomo Fuels – a signed, autographed Chiefs rugby jersey.
“It seemed to resonate really well; she’s a passionate Chiefs fan. We got one of those for her and another for her husband, Matua Paul.
“We wanted to recognise their contribution, and what they did for our kura.”
Whaea Hera started her career as a teacher aide and at around the age of 50 decided to study to become a kaiako.
“I’m helping out at the school, helping the teacher, and then I thought, ‘I could do this.’ My colleagues were encouraging me.”
The remainder of her years at Centennial Park have been spent working as a qualified teacher.
And what are her retirement plans? Not a life of leisure.
“I won’t sit around,” Hera said.
“Just to catch up with and keep in touch with the family … that’s a priority at the moment.”
She said she had always enjoyed supporting students with their kapa haka performances.
“That’s why I’m here today, with the team,” she said.
“It was awesome, I thoroughly enjoyed it, just being part of the team there with the children.”
Whaea Hera, who was raised on Napinapi marae at the base of Kahuwera in Piopio, said Māori performing arts had not been on the curriculum at her primary school.
Attitudes then had been very different.
“We had no kapa haka,” she said.
Principal Kevin Ikin said Thursday’s performance was one of the school’s first opportunities to share their kapa haka in public since Covid.
