Hopefully lots of you were able to witness the whole school belting out our haka powhiri, Toia Mai te waka, at the start of our Matariki evening.

However to get to that performance, we were very, very lucky to have Ebony and Tayla from Whenua Iti come to Māpua School and teach every syndicate. Just over a month ago we welcomed Ebony, Tayla and Matua Mike to Māpua School, and then throughout the week every syndicate were introduced and taught the haka powhiri.

In the middle team, we were extremely excited to have our turn at learning Toia Mai, especially as we'd been hearing it all week with the Intermediates and Seniors. When our turn finally came, we gave it our best shot, eager to impress our kaiako. And whilst our volume and passion could not be faulted, it was fair to say our rhythm and timing needed a bit of work. 

Ebony and Tayla kept the learning fun and engaging, with lots of quick games in between. When we were practicing we got to challenge each other, and share leadership roles. Our timing got better, and our pukana was intimidating. We promised Ebony and Tayla that we'd keep practicing until the came back in a couple of weeks. Often when I'd be returning from morning tea, I'd hear Rimu and Mahoe chanting the haka powhiri. It was fair to say we were hooked!

Finally when Whenua Iti returned we got to show them how much we had practiced, and they helped us hone our skills. We also got to join in with the whole school and rehearse what it would look like and sound like on Matariki.

We were very privileged and grateful to have Whenua Iti and Ebony and Tayla come and teach us such an awesome haka powhiri. We can't wait till we get the chance to bring it out again!!