Last Friday, our school came together for a special assembly to celebrate the completion of our renovation project. 

We were fortunate to have some special guests join us, individuals who played a vital role in supporting us throughout the past decade of this project. It was heartwarming to reconnect with familiar faces we hadn't seen in a while.

We were so grateful to have Maaka Tau and Tane from Ngāi Tūāhuriri join us, making the occasion truly unforgettable and special. 

Lastly, a huge thank you to our entire community for their support throughout the entire journey.  ❤ 

The following is Ms McArthur's speech - which provides detail and information on the process and our Cultural Narrative:

Today we have come together to celebrate our school life being back to normal. We are no longer moving from one end of the school to the other, our teams are all back together and we have our hall back. The sorts of things that we took for granted, like being able to have assemblies suddenly became very weather dependent and we all know Christchurch is not the ideal location to be weather dependent! Being the person who had to make those decisions and getting them wrong and much as I got them right- I am hugely relieved to be indoors!
So now we have renovated classrooms that look good and are warm and dry. And we have our hall back and that feels great. We still have a few little odd jobs that need attending too but by and large we are done. And that certainly deserves a celebration.
I would like to acknowledge and thank Maaka Tau and Tane from Ngāi Tūāhuriri for joining us today and adding to the significance of the occasion.
I like to acknowledge Taua Daph who has walked the journey with us for many years.
I’d like to acknowledge the School Board, both current and past, and staff members both current and past - all of whom have contributed ideas, time and energy to this project for over a decade.
Craig Goodenlough our presiding Member of the School Board will cover off all the acknowledgements.
I would like to share with you our journey of who we are, why our school is called what it is and the significance of the names and colours throughout our school because none of this is accidental. Our school worked with a Mana Whenua Education Facilitator to assist with aligning our cultural narrative with the school renovation.
We are Hoon Hay Te Kura Kōaka
That means the School of the Kōaka which is the Ngāi Tahu name for the kahikatea tree or the white pine. This name recognises the stands of kōaka that were once present in the Hoon Hay area. The kōaka tree is noted for its need to grow together, interlacing their root systems in order to grow strong and tall within a swampy environment.
The way the kōaka develops can be compared to the way our students grow, learn and support each other to be the best they can be while also contributing to a connected school and whanau.
The Use of the word Kura also makes a direct connection to Te Iringa o Kahukura (Sugarloaf) a prominent landmark which is seen from the school and features in the kōwhaiwhai design on the school kapa haka uniforms.
We work within 4 learning teams, and the learning space and team names that have been gifted have a strong focus on the tradition of mahika kai (traditional Māori food gathering) with an interest in the berry of the kōaka, known as the koroī. The names support key concepts such as sustainability, manaakitanga (hospitality), mahi ngātahi (collaboration of strengths) and whānau/community.
● Kāmata (Our Year 1 team) is the tip of the kōaka tree where the koroī (berry) grows.
● Mata Whanaunga (Our Year 2 team) is the dark coloured seed found on the kōaka berry.
● Kūkupa (Our Year 3 and Year 4 team) is the Ngāi Tahu name for the Kererū that feeds on the Kōaka tree.
● Koroī (Our Year 5 and Year 6 team) is the berry, normally bright red, of the Kōakatree.
Our other learning spaces have also been gifted names to represent the school cultural narrative and name.
● Pakiaka (The Hall) is the root of the Kōaka Tree. This name reminds people of the interlacing root systems of the kōaka, which support each other to grow strong together (Grow Together). That is, using one another’s strengths for a common goal.
● Rourou (Our Library) is the base used to hold kai and represents sustainability and the collaboration.
The colours of our school are reflective of the cultural narrative with the neutrals, browns, the different greens of the trees and the reds and purples of the seeds and berries. Different teams have different coloured accents depending on the team name. It feels good to have alignment of the cultural narrative, the buildings and the wairua of the school.
Our focus is now on the landscape plan that has been designed for us……again reflecting the cultural narrative of the school but with one special thing that the tamariki have longed for and that is a scooter track. Tamariki are not so enthralled with warm dry buildings they want things that add to their joy to their play like a hydroslide or a scooter track. One is slightly more expensive than the other…so a scooter track is our goal for this year. We can’t wait.
Finally, on a personal note I would like to acknowledge how wonderful the staff have been over this process. Working alongside a building site has its ups and downs. The tamariki certainly enjoy seeing and hearing all the heavy machinery however, the flip side is that no matter how considerate the building team is, the noise can get a bit much. It has been like moving house over and over again and none of us enjoy the packing, the lugging and the unpacking so I am very grateful to lead this fabulous group of positive people who help each other out whether it is them that are moving or not. You make things happen and just roll with whatever comes our way. Thank you so much.