A pōwhiri is a traditional Maori ritual whereby the host people (tangata whenua) welcome visitors (manuhiri) to our "marae" - school. The process starts with a "karanga". Visitors are then led onto the "marae" (into the hall), where they will be welcomed by a haka. A short speech will be made by school staff. As a result of this encounter, the manuhiri are recognised as "friends" not "foe" and cease being manuhiri, but now count among the tangata whenua.

A "waiata" is sung and finally kai (food) is shared to complete the process. Traditionally this would be a hākari (feast), but at school we tend to share cake and biscuits.

The Aquarius Unit from the Greater Wellington Regional Council has been set up in Reception for the week as a springboard for discussing water, as part of our wider inquiry focus.

Term Three's inquiry focus is Living Scientifically and students will be learning about the scientific method as a way to explore, test, confirm and increase their understanding of the world they live in.

The Aquarius Unit will create curiosity about the water cycle and the way we use water. Judging by the interest being generated by the Aquarius Unit, curiosity is not something we are short of at Amesbury!