Last Friday was a powerful day of unity at our kura, as we celebrated National Pink Shirt Day—a day dedicated to standing up against bullying and spreading kindness.

Our prefects chose to focus on the Kaupapa of Pink Shirt Day: being an upstander, being kind and demonstrating our Tātou Values.

Students engaged in fun, thoughtful events and competitions—all designed to reinforce anti bullying. This included interactive activities which encouraged students to practice being upstanders in everyday situations and practicing kindness.  We also had the IWI Challenge which incorporated key messages linking the Kaupapa of Pink Shirt Day, to their Iwi values and roots.

Our local police constables, Paul Nicholas and Grant West-Hill spent a long time deliberating on the entries. The cops were overwhelmed by the quality and impact of each entry. They both agreed on the following results:
 

1st Equal: Waima & Kaha    

3rd: Moana

4th: Rangi

5th: Tapere

We also had the Staff Department Dress-Up Competition, which the constables also judged. They chose: The English Learning Area, for fully embracing their fairy theme, reflecting our school value of participation.

Friday’s highlight was welcoming our local police officers for a tour of our kura. From handshakes and kōrero to photo ops and skill-sharing, our students embraced the moment—demonstrating manaakitanga and respect. The police constables were deeply impressed, sharing how clearly our students demonstrated our Tātou Values. What an absolute pleasure to see this interaction and positive engagement between our ākonga and these key leaders in our local community. View Photos here