Pukenui School students enjoy Matariki celebrations hosted at the school last Wednesday. Photo: Dan Tasker
A belated Matariki celebration brought Pukenui School students, whānau and the wider community together in a celebration of connection and remembrance last week.
Matariki, which was publicly celebrated on July 10 this year, is a time to celebrate the Māori New Year and remember those who have passed away, celebrate whānau and look ahead to the future.
More than 150 people came down to the school for an afternoon of community fun centred around Matariki, which included games, food and kapa haka performances.
The event has become a community favourite in recent times after it replaced the school gala six years ago, and principal Dorothy Carr highlighted it as an important connection point for the school community.
“I tried to make it more of an authentic context of why we celebrate Matariki, rather than just having a school gala,” Carr said.
“It’s just to connect to Te Ao Māori and having the whānau in the school and wider community,” she said.
This year’s original July 1 date was postponed to term three following the passing of former school whaea Liane Begman-Green, who worked at the school for seven years before leaving at the end of term one.
Carr said Matariki became a fitting way for the wider school community to remember whaea Liane and all she had done at Pukenui School.
“When whaea Liane passed away at the end of last term and we had to postpone our Matariki festival, it made it more meaningful because next year we’ll remember at Matariki somebody that’s given something back to us,” Carr said.
As part of their learning through term two and three, students studied different areas related to Matariki, Carr said.
“We leave it to the teachers and how they want to connect things to Matariki. You could do a big thing around space and astrology or Māori myths and legends,” Carr said.
“We’ve done a lot of stuff on relationships, because with our kids, a lot of it’s around building positive relationships – what’s your connection to your whānau, respectful relationships, acknowledging those who have gone before,” she said.
Pukenui’s Matariki celebrations have been scaled back since the days of the school gala, as a way of keeping things simple and promoting community connection.
“We used to have school galas and galas are fun, but they’re huge and you need a really big team to run one,” Carr said.
“It’s quite nice because it’s authentically fun; it’s not all flash,” she said.
Funds raised from the event will be used to support Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC) experiences for students, Carr said.
Pukenui School students enjoy Matariki celebrations hosted at the school last Wednesday. Photo: Dan Tasker
