Why? Because we took all of our Year 3-6 students who wanted to be involved. Only five chose not to participate because they were too anxious or shy. That's special because it shows that we are achieving our goal : to provide opportunities for all our students to learn te reo Maori and to be confident in te ao Maori.

Other schools took small groups of students specially selected from their whole school. We were able to share what we have been learning every day since the start of the year.

Facing the enormous crowd and the open space of the Aquinas Gym was scary and everyone needed a piece of bravery to stand there under the scrutiny of the audience. The feeling of encouragement and support radiating from the audience was very evident and with Matua Whare playing his guitar and leading us into each waiata you could feel courage building throughout.

I was speaking to an elderly man from Rotorua who said 'your kids have got wonderful pronunciation - they were so clear'; another Rotorua granny said she loved the way every child stood still between songs and showed reverence when they sang their himene.

Our students had a great time exploring Aquinas. It was special because they met up with the old St Thomas More kids who were in Year 7-10. Lots of old boys and girls came over to talk with us and catch up.

Thank you to Mrs Thomas, Miss Fielden, Mrs McHugh, Mr Webster, Cath and Liam Robson for your training and ongoing encouragement for te reo and kapa haka.

 Thank you to our PTFA Mums who generously covered the cost of the bus to and from Aquinas last week.