Wild Minds newsletter

The Wild Minds summarised what we have been learning in the latest newsletter. Check it out below!

This term the Wild Minds community have been making connections with our foundations as New Zealanders through our Te Reo Maori team rotation. In class and as a team we have explored Manaakitanga; focusing on what makes a great host.  Each class has explored Te Reo through our mihi where we got to orally tell the story of where we come from.

The rakau sticks taught us about timing, coordination and teamwork.  We gained a deeper understanding of why specific colours are used for specific purposes and how these are incorporated into Maori patterns.  Rooms 1 and 2 used this knowledge to create our class treaty waka.  

We also created poi and learnt how to use these in a traditional performance.  We explored the cultural importance of Manaakitanga and we used this knowledge to host a whole school assembly where we shared our learning.

The Wild Minds explored how food brings people together and acknowledged that this is an important part of being a great host.  Our students learnt how to make Maori bread, which they shared with our community.  Hopefully they have gone home and shared this knowledge with their friends and family.

We extended our learning of Manaakitanga by visiting the Auckland War Memorial Museum where we explored Powhiri, Kohi Kai and Ngahau. Our students participated in the formal process of a powhiri where one group took the role of tangata whenua (hosts), the other, manuhiri (visitors).  We learnt that the marae is not the wharenui (the building), but the meeting place in front of it.  Before entering the wharenui the women will sing the karanga which is the welcoming song to invite the manuhiri in.  It is then tradition to take off your shoes and enter the wharenui before sitting in front of the tangata whenua (hosts).

We explored why the hosts are responsible for providing sustenance to visitors and how the visitors in turn are obligated to reciprocate; by replenishing the kai.  We explored the gallery for traditional tools to gather food and looked at how they acquired and prepared their kai.  We then learnt about the importance of food and how it is used to bring groups together.

Another aspect of being a great host is entertaining the manuhiri through ngahau.  We learnt various maori activities including pukana, which is a traditional game, and we sang Ki Mai Maori which is a chant with actions to help us remember the vowels in Te Reo.

We are really looking forward to using what we have learnt this term to show manaakitanga and continue being great hosts.