At school, our current topic is Ko Wai Mātou - “Who we are”. We are finding and sharing ourselves in our community.

Room five is invested in a community inquiry: this is where we find someone in the Wellington region who has made an impact in our society. This can be someone with our interests, or someone who we look up to. This piece is about Whaea Lena Meinders and her impact in our community.

Lena Meinders is the deputy principal of Newlands Intermediate school. While maintaining her position, she manages many other activities, mainly to do with supporting the Newlands community. This piece of writing will explain the accomplishments of Lena Meinders and her contributions towards our society. Described as a Wāhine Toa (warrior woman), Lena is passionate about preserving Maori culture and promoting it to children.

As the Chair of the Ngā Hau e Whā o Paparārangi Marae, it’s safe to say Lena can evenly spend her time both at work and supporting the local community. Other examples of this include facilitating the local children's Kapa Haka group, volunteering her time to promote sport (mainly netball), and being a member of the Marae for over 15 years.. Amazingly, in October 2020, she won the ‘Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian Award Citation’ due to all her contributions towards our society.

Lena’s ultimate goal is to increase all students’ knowledge about Maori culture. This needs no explanation to why it is inspiring - she stays true to herself, her heritage, and our people. It also plays part in why she is a valued staff member at Newlands Intermediate. She has been teaching for a total of 30 years, 23 being spent at our Newlands Intermediate School.