And we are getting ready to welcome some new students to our Nayland college community.

Over the last term, we have had some former refugees from Māngere in Auckland move down to Nelson and join us here at Nayland College. We have been able to supply these students with a bag fully packed with all the things a student may need while at school including books, stationery, a lunchbox, and a drink bottle. Haere Mai bags is an initiative made with the aim to do our bit to make former refugees feel welcome at our school and make their transition easier. We have done a lot of research to make sure the individual products will be beneficial for the new students.

The Kamahi trust has been an amazing support for our project. The Kamahi Trust is a charitable trust, dedicated to assisting young people to make a significant difference to our world through projects with environmental and social impacts. They are a key supporter of our project, donating annual funds for the next three years to make this initiative possible. We have also been receiving mentoring sessions from their chairperson Rebecca. These have helped us expand our initiative and start planning ways to take it to other schools in the Stoke community. Her experience and outside perspective have proven immensely helpful.

None of this would be possible without fundraising and donations from our community. If you would like to make a contribution, please use the following details:

Bank Account Number: 12-3165-0342600-54

Reference: Haere Mai Bags