Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula. Fakaalofa atu. Namaste. Kumusta. Haere mai ki Te Kura Huruhuru Ao o Horomaka. Warm greetings to the Hornby High School community.

If I asked you the question ‘what is a school’, you might come back with quite a few different answers. You might say ‘it’s a bunch of buildings’, you might say 'it’s students and teachers’, you might say ‘a place for learning’, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong in any of those because this is a pretty big, and a pretty loose, question.

Here’s another way of thinking about your answer: ‘it’s a whole lot of very complicated relationships’, because it is a place for and filled by people. Each person, regardless of whether student or staff member, brings with them all of their existing knowledge, their preconceptions, their values, and of course all of that ‘emotional stuff’ that happens to us and which we call life. Maybe an argument with spouse or boy/girlfriend that morning, a younger/older sibling who has behaved badly, maybe  grandma is ill. All of these things come with everyone of us when we arrive at ‘school’ in the morning.

Which is one reason why the values of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga are so important within our kura. My dictionary says whanaungatanga is “1. (noun) relationship, kinship, sense of family connection - a relationship through shared experiences and working together which provides people with a sense of belonging. It develops as a result of kinship rights and obligations, which also serve to strengthen each member of the kin group”. Of manaakitanga it says “1. (noun) hospitality, kindness, generosity, support - the process of showing respect, generosity and care for others”.

Put simply, we need to nurture our relationships, and be kind to one another, because it’s people that matter the most. Indeed:

“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.”

At this week’s senior assembly I put this to our senior students. I asked them to embrace the sense of whanaungatanga that we need, to show manaakitanga.

I ended my speech with these words:

“There is an idea that has been around for a thousand or more years, the idea that we are what we think. It has been credited to Buddha and other thinkers, but it’s origins are unclear. Regardless of its origins, if we think about our core values at all times, I reckon we can’t go far wrong. So, whatever the situation, begin with the question: how do I respond and show whanaungatanga? How do I respond and show Manaakitanga? What is the kind thing to do? Because the world sure as hell needs more kindness. In whatever you do, think #manahoromaka, because this is a damned fine place to be, a damned fine school to be a part of.

“Kia tau te mauri”

Because before all else a school is our people.

He tangata he tangata he tangata.

Please make sure you follow us on Facebook for the latest and most up to date news https://www.facebook.com/hornbyhighschool/ , and on our website www.hornby.school.nz . You can also follow my thinking on education at Hornby High School, and more generally, on my blog at https://whakataukihewakaekenoa.blogspot.co.nz/

Nga mihi nui

Robin Sutton