This week over four days, all our Year 9 students had the opportunity to go out to Ōtākou Marae as part of their Social Studies course.

After the bus ride down the Peninsula, all four groups of boys were welcomed onto the Marae with a pōwhiri. They had a full-on day of activities, and some great kai ahead!

The morning session, run by Roera Komene, Amie Curtis and Kiringāua Cassidy looked at what it means to possess mana. The boys discussed what mana means to them and who are some men and women who possess mana. They also heard stories of Tarewai, a warrior who exemplified mana.

In the afternoon the boys split into two groups and rotated through two activities. Tūmai Cassidy took the boys around the Marae and Whare Karakia explaining the history behind it and the migration story of its hapū. The boys were enthralled by the storytelling and came away with a much fuller understanding of Ōtākou history. The second group played games with a focus on te reo, facilitated by our senior student leaders.

It was an awesome experience for our young men and the staff who accompanied them each day.

We would really like to thank everyone at Ōtākou Marae for a fantastic three days, especially Amie Curtis, Roera Komene, Tūmai Cassidy and Kiringāua Cassidy for putting together and facilitating such a great programme. Along with a big thank you to the  Bendigo Valley Foundation for their support to help with cost of transport.