Our Midwinter Festival, formerly known as our Matariki Lantern Festival, has changed it's name.

A few of us have been around long enough to have watched this festival evolve from St John's to Midwinter to Matariki! However, in consultation with our Steiner Kahui Whetu (Te Ao Māori Community of Learning) kaumatua we have decided to revert back to this festival being called the Midwinter Festival.  

The thinking behind this was around the appropriate use of Matariki.  Matariki is a time of remembrance, paying respect to those who have passed on and a time for new beginnings to plan for the year ahead. Part of Matariki also involves a mihi/greeting to the Matariki cluster of stars that appear at dawn, which we don't do in our school evening festival.

Our Matariki noho at school, which has taken place in previous years after the Midwinter festival, is still appropriately named as we rise to greet the dawn in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Matariki star cluster. However this event, which relies heavily on parent input to carry, will not be going ahead at this stage, as we have not had anyone step forward to organise it. Please be in touch if you’re keen to be an organiser for a last minute rescheduling for this year, or for planning ahead for 2022.

Ngā mihi nui, Irene and Whaea Karen