The Korimako tamariki have been learning about the connection between Māori art and the land.

Over the last couple of weeks in our hub the tamariki have been building on the knowledge gained on our recent Rongoā trip and have been learning the tīkanga (protocol) around weaving with flax and creating kowhaiwhai patterns.  

It has been very hands-on for our tamariki and they have learnt how to respectfully gather harakeke (flax), prepare the leaves for weaving and have created some harakeke whetū (stars).  Some of this required a lot of Ngātahi (working together) as it's not as easy as it first looks!

Bridie and Evie enjoyed making the whetū and helped others out with some weaving. "It was definitely harder than we first thought and I was able to finish my star and help some other people get started," said Evie.

Meanwhile our tamariki have also been learning about kowhaiwhai patterns in Māori cuture and their connection to the land, nature and iwi (tribes).  The students drew their own kowhaiwhai patterns that represent themselves and their whānau. Then they carved their designs onto polystyrene boards and used printing ink and rollers to make prints of their designs.  We will display these in our hub for you to see in the next few weeks.