“It is as Maori that the Lord calls you, it is as Maori that you belong to the Church, the one body of Christ” - St Pope John Paul II, Auckland, 1986.

These were the words of St John Paul II when he visited NZ and this sets up our school vision for a bi-cultural and multicultural whanau.

In our school, the Haka joins us together in the spirit of John Paul and this week there has been extra practice in whanau groups as well as our kapahaka group preparing to present publicly. It was also great to have <<The Pohutukawa Tree>> performed on two nights running which looks at how the Maori culture is present in today’s changing world.

Let’s remember as we embrace our Maori heritage, this simple prayer:

E te Atua, ka timata tatou i nga mahi kapa haka, ka huri tenei wa ki a koe. Amene

God, we are beginning our Kapa haka, we turn all that we do over to you. Amen

E te Atua, kua mutu tatou i nga mahi kapa haka, kia tau tou rangimarie kei matou. Amene

God, we have finished our Kapa haka, may your peace rest gently upon us. Amen