For the ten Thursday evenings throughout Term 3 we have been very privileged to host and run the Whānau Learning Hub.

Every evening started with shared kai together, starting with karakia. Children young and old, alongside their parents and caregivers, enjoyed pizza and sandwiches together. After dinner each evening, the participants broke off into different areas to learn about the New Zealand education system - from Early Childhood, to primary school, secondary school and options beyond high school. We were fortunate to be joined by a number of different Ministry of Education staff who also shared their knowledge and expertise, as well as wonderful staff from our Diversity Services team and our Preschool, Te Pito o Te Puna Wai o Waipapa.

While parents were busy with their learning, the children were involved in their own learning in our Homework and Study Support Centre, catering for students from around age 3 to 18. This Learning Hub simply could not run without the support of a large number of staff and volunteers that enabled the children to be supervised simultaneously with their learning while their parents were occupied.

The last Thursday of the term started again with kai and was followed by a presentation of certificates to all the parents and caregivers who had attended the programme. Each participant was also gifted a flowering plant, as an acknowledgement and symbol of their commitment to learning.

A huge ‘ngā mihi nui’ thank you to all of the staff involved, all of the helpers, our wonderful student volunteers, and to all the participants who made the hub so successful. We trust that you have enjoyed your involvement, and we hope that we might run a similar programme sometime in 2024.